Fullmetal Adventure!
by EmiieRoxs
Summary: Fans of fma have succeeded in coming to the world of fullmetal! Just as they dreamed, they're state alchemists, they can use alchemy, and even meet the elric bros! 'cept, there's one thing that's a major flaw..descrip.inside R&R plz! COMPLETE!
1. Two Girls From the Outside World

A/N: hi ev'ryone! i must say i am a big fma fan so i came up with this story. i wasn't thinkin about postin it on fanfic, but i thought it'd be fun if i did anywayz. so, here's my fma story! if u do like it, plz R&R :) and if u don't then :'( lol. o wellz, it's for fun this story anywayz. besides my blabbering, happy reading :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FullMetal Alchemist or any of it's characters. However, I do own Li-san and Hazel :)

**Summary:** Two girls from the outside world who are fans of fma, discover a way to go into the anime world. it is there that they become what they've dreamed! state alchemists, the ability to use alchemy, and to meet the favorite characters from the show! but there is only one thing that keeps their happiness from continuing. will they ever be able to return to the real world? Then again..would they ever want to?

**Chapter 1: Two Girls From The Outside World**

The time was 7:01 p.m. A girl of age 14 was waiting for someone to arrive at her house patiently (yet freaking out because it was 1 minute after 7:00 and the original time was 7:00; seemed she had a tendancy to the phrase 'on time', and if that didn't happen she usually started to get nervous). To make the wait less nerve wracking, she began typing at her computer frantically away at a story that she had been etching to finish. She finally ran into the dreaded writer's block, and decided it was just best to sit back and crank up the FMA tunes on her CD/Radio player.

_READY STEADY CAN'T HOLD ME BACK_

_READY STEADY GIVE ME GOOD LUCK_

_READY STEADY NEVER LOOK BACK!_

_LET'S GET STARTED READY STEADY GO!_

The girl played on her air guitar to the music right after the intro, and heard the a knock on the door (which she actually did _not_ hear due to the loudness of the music). When the lyrics began, she sang in a low voice that sounded just like the singers in the band themselves, no joke. Suddenly, a voice called, saying her guest had just arrived.

"Mom! Don't scare me like that!" the girl cried as she clutched her chest, as if having a heart attack. _'I just hate it when people can hear me sing! Especially in low key!'_ Her guest walked down casually, and plopped her things near the wall.

"Hi! I'm so glad you're here! I was beginning to worry." the girl with long black hair in a ponytail said as she turned away from her computer. Her friend smiled and pulled up a chair. She had dirty blonde hair in a high ponytail.

"Yeah me too. It was my dad's fault, we got lost. Sorry if I'm a little late." the girl apologized. The other girl only waved a hand with a laugh.

"It's all right. While you were getting here I just finished my story. So, did you bring, _the goods_?" the girl with black hair asked, her brow raised.

"Oooooh yeah." the girl with long blonde hair replied and took everything out of her bag. Manga books were spread out on the floor, all were of Fruits Basket and of Fullmetal Alchemist, but mostly Fullmetal. She took out a Naruto wristband and a Naruto headband.

"Awesome! Lucky!" the girl with black hair chanted.

"Haha. Thanks Li-chan." the girl with dirty blonde hair said with a smile as she put on her headband like Hinata Hyuuga did in the show. Li-chan put the writsband on.

"Hey! That's Hinata's style Hazel!" Li-chan cried with a laugh.

"Well I couldn't do it like Naruto, or Shikamaru, or Kiba, or any other! Besides, Hinata's was the best." Hazel said with a shrug.

"Whatever. Let's just get this anime slumber party started!" Li-chan said with a laugh and the two started out with a regular story typing. In no time, they got bored with that. Next came the T.V, but really...nothing anime related was on at that time. After that it was internet, but it ran slower than usual. Finally, the last thing to do was look at manga. The time now was 12:00 midnight.

"Hey Hazel, wouldn't it be cool if we could do Alchemy?" Li-chan asked as she was reading Volume 1 of FMA, pushing her glasses just a little so she could see. Hazel looked up from her Furuba book.

"Yeah. It would." was her answer. Li-chan got up from her chair, and walked over to her wall. She took out some chalk, and started to draw a very irregular transmutation, the one that was shown to get to the other side.

"What are you doing Li?" Hazel asked as she put her furuba book down. Li-chan slapped her hands on the circle, but nothing happened.

"Well, it was worth a shot." Li-chan said with a sigh.

"Well, maybe your circle needs a little repairing for it to work." Hazel suggested and made the circle more round, and the right lines where they should be more perfect.

"Hey, why don't we do it together?" Li-chan suggested and the two slapped their hands on the circle. Suddenly, it glowed!

"Li what did you do!" Hazel cried in bewhilderment.

"Sssh! Quiet you'll wake my parents!" Li-chan hissed and suddenly, the two were sucked into the circle! They had performed alchemy! Apparently, they were now on the other side..but the other side to what?

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Li-chan woke up with a start, and looked around the room she was in. _'Hm...very familiar, I've seen this before.'_ she said to herself and got out of the bed to walk around. She came upon a mirror, walked by it, and then rushed back. _'OHMYGOD! I'M...I'M IN ANIME FORM? WITH NO GLASSES! SWEET! AND I'M MAKING THAT FUNNY SURPRISED LOOK! WHAT IS GOING ON!'_ Li-chan thought. She heard some minor clinks, and she rolled up her cackies she was wearing just a little. Her mouth dropped. Automail? She had automail limbs?

"IEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" she cried in high pitched. "OHMYGOD! I COULD NEVER SQUEAK THAT HIGH! WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH ME?" she cried in bewhilderment. _'Hey! I'm swearing!...Feels good! CHA!'_ she thought. The door opened quickly, and a familiar face walked in.

"...Hazel?" Li-chan cried. Hazel was in anime form too! But she looked so different! Then again so did Li-chan. They had perfect figures for girls their age (not saying they didn't in the real world), and they looked even hotter in anime form like they always thought they would be. Hazel was wearing a red jacket that went with a blue T-shirt. She wore one white glove on her right hand, and had on some ripped jeans. She was wearing regular white sneakers. Li-san was wearing a pink tank top and long cackies. She had on boots that looked a little similar to Edward Elrics, just a different color. Blue.

"L-Li-chan?..." Hazel asked. The two walked up to eachother, and touched eachother's faces. Then, Li-san noticed that Hazel had automail too! She had hers on her left arm.

"Hazel! You have automail too!" Li-san exclaimed.

"I know! It's weird! Why do I have automail! What about you!" Hazel cried.

"I have automail limbs! WHAT'S HAPPENED TO US!" Li-san cried.

"IEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" they screamed together. Finally, a noise unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time came charging in. They looked down at the old lady with a pipe in her mouth, glasses on, and her hair in a very high ponytail. It was Pinako herself!

"What's with all the screaming in here! You're giving us all a headache!" Pinako cried.

"W-we're sorry miss! This is just...new to us." Hazel apologized and had sweatdrops as she bowed continuously. Li-chan was laughing.

"Hahah! Hazel! Get this! Whatever we do, say, think, we do it in anime form! And yours is totally funny!" Li-chan laughed and was hit over the head, a bump could be seen. Tears streamed down her face. Pinako stared at Li-chan, a puzzled look on her face. She might've thought that Li-chan was insane. Anime form? What was that?

"Owchee." Li-chan said with a sniffle.

"Where are you two from anyways?" Pinako asked.

"Not from here is all we can say." Hazel answered.

"Grandma? Ed, Al, and I heard screams. What's going on?" a voice asked from outside. _'Winry-san!'_ the two thought. _'Hey...we can hear our own thoughts! COOL!'_ Winry came in, her usual outfit was on and she had her red bandana on her head and her brownish green gloves on. Also, a wrench could be seen in her left hand.

"As you can see these two are awake." Pinako said and walked out. Den walked in past her.

"Hello there. I'm Winry Rockbell. It's a pleasure to meet you." Winry said and extended her hand.

"I'm Hazel. Hazel Manson." Hazel said and the two shook. Li-chan was playing with Den until Hazel smacked her on the head so she would introduce herself.

"Oi! And I'm Li. Li Yamanato. But usually people call me Li-chan. Whatever works. Someday I'll be called Li-san, and I hope to attain that name! It is so honorific!" Li-chan said and put an anime pride face, tears streaming down her face, her mouth was up like an arrow, her eyes were sparkly, and pink sparkles could be seen around her.

"Don't mind her...she's a little, unstable let's put it. We're trying to find a cure." Hazel whispered, her eyes were half narrowed.

"Hey! I heard that you!" Li-chan cried, a vein popped and she grew fangs.

"It's nice to meet you Hazel, Li-san." Winry said.

"Hazel! Did you hear that! I was called Li-**san**! Oh thank you Winry-san!" Li-san said with a sniffle.

"Will you cut that out? You're making yourself look like a total baka." Hazel said and rolled her eyes. Winry had a few sweatdrops.

"It's no problem. Would both of you like to come downstairs and meet everyone?" Winry asked.

"Will you excuse us for a moment please?" Li-san asked and pulled Hazel to the side.

"Listen Hazel! We're going to meet Ed, and AL! Oh I can't wait! Maybe you'll get to see Mustang too!" Li-san cried happily.

"Yeah! Let's just play it cool for now. I still don't know how this all happened, but I'm liking it lots." Hazel replied and the two quickly whooshed back to Winry.

"Sure!" they said in unison and the three walked downstairs. There was no one to be seen. They were puzzled, and walked outside. Li-san ran faster than everyone crying, "THIS IS REALLY IT HAZEL! WE'RE REALLY IN RISENBOOL! WHAT ELSE COULD BE BETTER!"

"So much for playing cool..." Hazel said and rolled her half narrowed eyes.

"Heads up!" someone cried from afar. Winry and Hazel looked at the person who spoke, and their mouths dropped. Li-san, too distracted, was in her own fantasy world of happiness, not hearing the warning.

"DUCK!" another voice cried. It was all too late though. When Li-san snapped out of her happy transe, she turned with a smile to see something flying at her. In seconds dark lines could be seen under her right eye, and her mouth seemed to be twitching. Coming straight at her was a metal helmet. Although, it looked alive, but in it's 'other' form. It had dark lines under it's eyes, and it's mouth was just zig zag lines. Her eye began to twitch. WHAM! The helmet fell to the ground a few feet away, and Li-san fell on her back on the ground, a big red spot could be seen in the middle of her forehead. She had X's for eyes. Winry and Hazel had sweatdrops as the two people rushed to the scene.

"Miss? Miss we're so sorry are you all right!" the voice from before that cried, "Heads up!" asked. Li-san's eyes were tightly squinted before she opened them. The scene went to her point of view. She was a little fuzzy, and saw a blonde haired boy stand above her. His golden eyes made her in a transe. He helped her up with a metal arm, and she gladly accepted. The person next to him was the favorite suit of armor, in 'it's' hands were the helmet.

"I'm so sorry Miss! I didn't mean for that to happen!" the suit of armor apologized and bowed. Li-san blinked several times.

"Oh no...brace yourselves everyone she's about to blow!" Hazel screamed and ran off to a corner, she shoved her fingers in her ears. All at once, Li-san burst.

"OH MY GAWD! IT'S YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU'RE THE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST EDWARD ELRIC! AND YOU! YOU! YOU'RE ALPHONSE ELRIC! AAH! THIS IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE! HAZEL! HAZEL CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT I JUST GOT HIT IN THE FACE BY AL'S HEAD? IT'S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!" Li-san burst. Ed, Al, and Winry backed away from Li-san and joined Hazel.

"What's the hell's wrong with her! Did that hit make her insane or something?" Ed cried.

"No...she's just a freak when it comes down to...this." Hazel replied. _'More like a total anime freakazoid who can't control herself sometimes...'_

"THIS IS SOOOO COOL! I CAN'T BELIEVE I NEVER TRIED ALCHEMY BACK THERE BEFORE! I'VE BEEN--WE'VE BEEN MISSING OUT!" Li-san roared as she charged at them. She finally quieted down.

"Are you sure she's okay?..." Ed asked.

"Yeah. She's fine don't worry. I've known her a long time now so this isn't anything compared to some stuff in the past that she's spazzed about." Hazel replied with a small sweatdrop.

"Hey Miss, what's your name? You're the first person to ever realize that I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist." Ed said with a proud smile.

"Oh? I'm Li-san. It's an honor to meet you Edward Elric." Li-san said with a grin.

"Haha. Just call me Ed." Ed said with a laugh. Li-san smiled, and then felt something in her pocket. She curiously took it out. It was her state alchemist pocketwatch that she had gotten on She gasped out of surprise.

"You! You're a state alchemist?" Ed cried as he lept up.

"I am?..." Li-san asked and realized that in this world, she could very well be! The paperwork would be right there and she wouldn't have to lie!...well, maybe she would just a little.

"Y-yeah! I'm the Soulfire Alchemist!" Li-san cried. In an instant, the paperwork for Li-san was done with and at Central.

"We've never heard of you before miss Li-san." Alphonse said.

"Please, just call me Li, Alphonse Elric." Li-san said with a smile.

"Thank you Li. You can call me Al by the way." Al added with a grin.

"And you've never heard of me before cause I...well, I just started. I'm a newbie really." Li-san said sheepishly. She was pulled by the ear by Hazel.

"Excuse us for a minute." Hazel said coldly and dragged her friend to a corner.

"What?" Li-san hissed.

"Huccum you get to be an alchemist, and I get to be nothing? It's not fair I tell you!" Hazel cried bitterly.

"Don't worry Hazel. Here since we can do this, here's your pocketwatch. You'll be...the Bullseye Alchemist!" Li-san cried and in an instant, Hazel had her pocketwatch and her state name in Central. Everyone would know about them, so no questions would come up. As they walked back, Ed pointed in bewhilderment.

"You're a State Alchemist too!"

"Yeah. See we're partners. I'm the Bullseye Alchemist." Hazel said with a smile.

"So, what can you guys do as alchemists?" Al asked.

"Hazel, do you want to go first?" Li-san asked.

"I would, but I don't have my guns right now. They're in Central remember?" Hazel replied and Li-san's eye twitched.

"Well um...hold on let me get my transmutation gloves." Li-san said and in an instant, in her pockets were the gloves with transmutation circles on them. _'I am soooo loving this!'_ She took a deep breath, and clapped her hands. Her eyes were closed, and she placed her hands on her chest. A glow began to shine, and a little white orb could be seen. She transferred it to something far away, and then it came to them. It's soul was reborn, and it began to do tricks. When Li-san clapped her hands again, she placed them over the object and the orb flew out of the object! It landed on the floor with a plop. The orb returned to Li-san, and she smiled in success.

"Wow! Amazing! Brother did you see that!" Al cried in amazement. Li-san blushed at Al's compliment.

"Yeah. That was very good! And you're saying you're a newbie!" Ed cried.

"More like an expert!" Al added and Li-san blushed even more, she began to laugh nervously.

"Thank you all for the compliments." she said.

"I can't wait to see what you can do Hazel-san. Would you like to come to Central with Al and me? I need to get there anyways, important business." Ed suggested.

"Sure!" they cried happily.

"Great! We'll be leaving tommorow. I still need to get my automail fixed up a little." Ed said with a grin.

"Say, Hazel, Li...where are you two from?" Al asked. The room grew deadly silent.

"Um...well, not here." Li-san said plainly.

"Yes, but where exactly?" Al asked.

"We'd rather not talk about it..." Hazel said sadly, hoping to give an impression that something sad about their past was meant to be kept secret. Ed understood, and Li-san had a puzzled look. Hazel nudged her in the rib.

"O-oh!...Y-yeah...It's sorta, personal I guess. I mean, we're not sisters but we're really close as best friends." Li-san covered.

"I see. Well, Al, let's show these guys around." Ed said with a smile as he stood up. Al nodded and he got up as well. The two showed Li-san and Hazel around Risembool. It's not like they needed to be toured, but to play it safe they played dumb with the Elrics. When they finally reached a place where nothing was, Hazel and Li-san knew it was the Elric's home.

"This was...our home." Ed said quietly.

"Why did you burn it?" Li-san asked. Playing dumb was a great way to get answers.

"Brother and I, we--"

"We did something bad." Ed answered quickly, interrupting his brother. Li-san and Hazel were quiet. There was a light breeze, and Li-san shut her eyes a littel bit. She yawned to show some sign of extreme boredom.

"I can't believe people would get you mixed up Ed. I mean, I know people have said that Al is the Fullmetal Alchemist because of his armor, but still." Hazel said.

"I'm sort of used to it by now. But I'm really happy that you were able to figure out that I was the Fullmetal." Ed said with a laugh. Li-san sniffled.

"What's wrong?" Al asked.

"I...I...I'm shorter than everyone heeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!" Li-san sobbed. It was true. Compared to Ed, he was 2 inches taller.

"N-no you aren't! Um...you're taller than Auntie Pinako!" Al said.

"BUT SHE'S OLLLLD!" Li-san wailed and tears flew down her cheeks.

"Not that I'm _glad_ you're shorter than me, I'm sure you'll grow." Ed said with a laugh. Li-san sniffed.

"You think?" she asked.

"No. Brother knows." Al said as he raised a finger. Li-san smiled.

"So, Ed, how old are you guys? I mean, we know _you're_ the Fullmetal, but it's hard to believe you're Al's older brother." Hazel asked. They didn't answer. Li-san pulled Hazel over for a short little private chat.

"Psst, I bet you anything we can make up our pasts here! We should make them sad so the Elrics will trust us with personal stuff. I think it'll work." Li-san exlained.

"Yeah...The best part is, we can have sad backround music!" Hazel giggled slightly.

"Okay..stick with sad pasts. And we're partners because at Central they made us be partners to search for...I know! A _crimson stone_. Like the Philosopher's Stone! Then we'll be able to travel with the Elrics!" Li-san cried. Hazel nodded. Anything they talked about, time for the anime world of the Elrics seemed to stop thank goodness, so the brothers wouldn't know what was going on.

"But first, we need some answers ourselves. How did we even get to the Rockbell's house for one." Hazel said.

"Right. We need to know exactly where they found us." Li-san added and they walked over to Ed and Al.

"Um, Ed, Al...we never really knew where you found us..." Hazel said.

"Yeah...where did you find us? And how did we end up at the nice Rockbell's house?" Li-san added. Ed and Al blinked.

"Well, actually..." Al started.

"We really didn't find you. Den, Winry's dog did. He brought us to where you guys were. You were on the outskirts of Risembool. If Den didn't find you soon, you would've been a gonner for sure." Ed said. Li-san had dark lines under her right eye, and it started to twitch.

"You mean we woulda...gulp D..Died!" Li-san squealed.

"Yeah...you were right in the middle of the train tracks. You both were knocked out and had minor fevers. Den luckily dragged you off the track just in time and ran off to get us." Al explained. The two shivered.

"Really, you've been out for three days." Ed finished.

"Wow! Three days!" Hazel cried and the brothers nodded. The group was silent once more.

Li-san and Hazel could feel a dramatic scene coming, and was very prepared. They could make out the backround music, it was the Brother's Song!

"Alphonse...Edward...would you um, if you have time, come with us on our mission?" Hazel asked.

"Depends on what your mission is." Ed replied with his hands behind his head.

"We're searching for the Crimson Stones." Li-san said.

"The..The Crimson Stones! Brother!" Al cried.

"Yeah...the Crimson Stones, they're part of the famous Philosopher's Stone!" Ed answered as his hands dropped to his sides, showing amazement in the two girls mission.

"Yes...and we think that finding the Crimson Stones will give us clues to the Philosopher's Stone. Both Hazel and I want to make something right that happened in our past." Li-san explained. Hazel just played along with a nod.

"Make something right...you two sound a lot like us..." Al said quietly.

"Like you? How so?" Li-san asked, puzzled.

"Brother, I think we can tell them. They're pretty trustworthy." Al said.

"Yeah..you're right.." Ed said silently.

"I'm sure both of you know the law of alchemy." Ed said. They nodded. "Well, of course in order to obtain, something of equal value must be lost. Equivalent Exchange. Both my brother and I performed Human Transmutation, to bring our dead mom back to life. We failed, and in the proccess I lost my leg, and Al his soul. I was able to get Al's soul back though by sacrificing my arm..." Ed explained. Both Hazel and Li-san gasped, their eyes had fear.

"So really...there's nothing inside you, is there Al?" Li-san asked sadly. Al shook his head no, the armor's red eyes couldn't be seen.

"We're trying to find the Philosopher's Stone to get Brother's arm and leg back, and my soul." Al said. Hazel and Li-san looked very sad.

"Oh, and I'm 15 and Al's 14." Ed added to answer their question they asked earlier.

"Really? I'm 15 too and Li-san is 14." Hazel said quietly. A short silence took place, and then Ed spoke.

"What about you two? What do you want to make right?" Ed asked. The two were silent, sadder looks on their faces. Ed and Al looked at them, innocent eyes. Li-san sighed.

"Well, I guess, since you told us your past, it's time to tell you guys ours..." Li-san said and looked at Hana. It was like they knew what to say! It all would play out.

"Li-san and I, we lived in the same town. My mother, and Li-san's father were in the Ishbalan War when we were only still little kids. Our mom and dad, were all that we had. We were all inseperable really... See, my dad died before I was born, and Li-san's mother died right after she was born..." Hazel said silently.

"My dad was in the military forces while Hazel's mom was a nurse. When they left, Hazel and I were like close sisters, we were all that we had really." Li-san said.

"Yeah...we were only 5 and 6 when they left. While waiting for our parents to come home from the war, we began to do alchemy. It interested us. We couldn't wait to show our folks what we had learned." Hazel said with a slight chuckle.

"But when the war was over, my dad and Hazel's mom didn't return. They were both killed...my dad was killed by an Ishbalan, and Hazel's mom along with two other doctors were killed by the military themselves for taking care of some Ishbalans who were hurt." Li-san said. Ed and Al gasped. It seemed that the other two doctors they had talked about were Winry's parents. Go figure.

"We tried desperately to bring them back, searching for answers, and finally found out about Human Transmutation." Hazel explained.

"The only real difference between Hazel and me, was that we weren't sisters and didn't have the same idea of it. I didn't think Human Transmutation was a very good idea, and tried to make Hazel stay clear from it. But when something comes to her mind it sticks. She was determined to bring back her mom and my dad. When I couldn't win with telling her to forget it, we practiced more alchemy and made ourselves better at it before we could perform the forbidden stuff." Li-san said. The Elrics looked very stern from this point.

"When Li-san was 7 and I was 8, we performed the alchemy. We gave up very little though, and apparently it wasn't enough. The things that we created...they weren't human...They were lifeless homunculous...that was our conclusion. We created monsters, and in the proccess I lost my left arm and Li-san lost her limbs." Hazel said quietly. The four were silent. Ed spoke once more after a long while.

"Hazel...Li-san...did any of you, after you performed **that** alchemy...Did you come across a door of some sort?" Ed asked.

"A door?..." Li-san asked, puzzled.

"I remember something like that...It was huge!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Can you do alchemy without transmutation circles?" Ed asked.

"I..never tried." Hazel replied. She clapped her hands together, and placed them on the ground. All of a sudden, a small toy horse was created! "WHOA!" Havel cried. Ed nodded. He said that he could do that as well. He also explained, that what Hazel saw was, 'The Truth'.

"The truth?" Li-san asked.

"Apparently...you were unconcious at that time Li-san." Hazel said.

"Where are you guys from? And how did you get automail? There aren't many towns with automail engineers." Ed said.

"We lived near Rush Valley. I had to carry Li-san on my back as we were able to make it there without completely draining our strength." Hazel explained. Luckily they didn't have to say what their town name was. As long as something came up near Rush Valley they'd take it. The rest would just play out like that. The sun began to set.

"Well, now with confessions done with, let's get some shut eye. Tommorow we'll head to Central." Ed said with a grin.

"Yeah." the two girls said with a nod.

"Say Al." Li-san said.

"Yes Li?" Al asked.

"Before the suit and all, were you taller than Ed?" she asked.

"Yes." "NO!" the two said in unison. Li-san and Hazel giggled and ran off, Ed and Al following close behind. So ended the first day in the world of fullmetal. The question was, how long would it last, and how would these two girls from the outside world ever return to reality? Then again, whoever said they wanted to go back?...

A/N: Well, here's my chapter 1! lol for those of u who have read it, please review! i just thought it'd be cool to post this. anywayz, i'll be updating soon, so if u like this story: stay tuned! i will say this though, if u haven't figured it out Li-san is Me: EmiieRoxs, and Hazel is my good friend Sweetnevermore! She and I are total fma fans. lol well, that's all i have to say and again, plz R&R and stay tuned for chapter 2: To Central! We're Off To See Mustang! -Em


	2. To Central! We're off to see Mustang!

A/N: Hi everyone! this is chapter 2 so i hope u like it! o yes, my story started out and all and when both Li-san and Hazel land in FMA world, we're in the middle of...episode 17: House of the Waiting Family. And i will say from here on out, it will sort of be following the episodes. It will only go to a 'side story' when they're in Rush Valley. just wanted to let ya all know ;) . anyways, again, here's chapter 2 and hope u like it! Happy Reading!

**Chapter 2: To Central! We're off to see Mustang!**

Li-san yawned as she flopped onto 'her' bed. She wore a white tank top and pink and blue striped shorts. The room was quiet, and she sighed as she stared at the ceiling. Today was such a busy day, and a little bit unnatural. It seemed like it was only a dream, but it was real! It was really real! They were in Risenbool, they were state alchemists, they were so cool in anime form! Not to mention they looked fabulously hot in anime form. She frowned though, and stared at her metal limbs. That was a little scary, considering on the other side she had regular legs. _'I wonder if Hazel is a little shooken up with having automail. Sure is a change.'_ she thought and then looked at the transmutation gloves lying on the table. She smiled and couldn't help but laugh. She could use alchemy! So cool! There was a knock on the door. _'Speaking of Hazel, I wonder if that's her now...'_ Li-san thought with a curious look on her face.

"C-come in!" Li-san said as she jerked up, sitting pretzel style. Winry came in. Li-san sighed a little, expecting it to be Hazel.

"Just wanted to check if you were either awake or asleep." Winry said with a smile as she stood in the doorway. Li-san smiled in a little chibi form.

"You can come in if you want to Winry-san." Li-san said with a grin and Winry nodded a thank you as she took a seat beside her new friend. The two seemed a little silent for a couple of minutes.

"Ed told me, what happened to you and Hazel. It seems that her mom died along with my parents.." Winry said quietly.

"Hm?...Y-yeah..." Li-san said with a slight sad smile.

"To be honest...you and Hazel, are just like Ed and Al. It's almost scary." Winry said as she stared at the wall.

"Just like Ed and Al?" Li-san asked.

"Yeah. Both of you guys have lost something, tried something dangerous, ended up with...nothing and because of it lost a piece of yourselves, and now are trying to make it all right again. It takes a lot courage for teens like us." Winry said. Li-san had her mouth open just a little, and stared guiltily at her limbs. She placed her hands on them and took a deep breath.

"The question is, will we ever be able to correct what's been lost..." Li-san said.

"Hm? What does that mean?" Winry asked.

"Well, it's not simple. Chasing after a stone that is supposedly just a myth...a fairy tale. No matter how far you look, you'll always end up back where you started, square one. I just wonder if we're ever going to be able to find the Philosopher's Stone. It's like finding a needle in a haystack..." Li-san replied. _'Where is all of this coming from? Haha. Well, as the saying goes, sometimes you're one with your character.'_ Li-san thought.

"Even though that may be true, it doesn't mean you should lose hope." Winry said with a smile as she put a hand on Li-san's shoulder. Li-san turned to Winry with a smile.

"Yeah. You're right. If I lose hope now, then I might not be able to go on, and that's not fun." Li-san said with a chuckle. Winry smiled.

"Winry-san..." Li-san said quietly.

"Y-yes Li-san?" Winry asked.

"Um...if you're an automail mechanic...could you umm...could you...could you make me taller?" Li-san asked, she clapped her hands together and placed them in front of her. She was blushing, and her mouth was squiggly lines. Winry blinked a couple of times, and smiled. She put Li-san's hands to her side. Li-san opened an eye as she continued to blush, waiting for an answer.

"Of course. How tall do you want to be?" Winry asked.

"Taller then Ed is all I can say! Do you think you could make me...5 foot 6 inch?" Li-san asked.

"Surely! Do you want to do it now while Ed, Al, and Hazel are asleep?" Winry asked and Li-san's eyes were like this: -- with a sweatdrop. _'Of course...I shoulda known Hazel would be asleep by now. She's the kind of person who likes to kick it in early.'_ Li-san thought and then smiled brightly, her eyes became bold upside down U's.

"Course! That way Ed will think I had a growth spurt! Haha!" Li-san cried and the two raced downstairs quietly and stealthfully.

Hazel tossed and turned in her bed, she seemed to be having flashbacks...of her past? Wait, it couldn't be _her_ past! Her parents didn't die! Then...why was she having these horrible dreams? She was a little chibi kid at age 6, and she was waving, waving goodbye to someone who had a first aid kit and other equipment in hand. The voice said that she would be back soon, and to look after Li-san as if Li-san were her own sister. The person began to disappear, and turned away. Then, what stood in front of her was a grave that read:

Serenity Manson

Beloved Wife

Beloved Mother

(The Date was Blurry so Hazel Couldn't Tell)

Hazel opened her eyes, the showed fear. She could hear her breath as she tried to calm herself down. Shaking all over, she realized she was sweating. She looked at her automail arm, she held her lip and started to cry. _'What is going on?...'_ she thought but realized her tears were from the terrible nightmare that had just taken place. As she finally walked out of the room, she heard some noises downstairs. She wondered what that was about, but left it alone for now. She sighed as she went to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face from the sink. Finally cooling down, she went back into her room, hoping to get a good nights rest for tommorow's visit to Central, tommorow's visit to see Mustang... She smiled at that, and fell asleep.

"We're almost done attatching your nerves to the new automail Li-san, just hang in there." Winry said as she wiped some sweat away from her forehead. Li-san was holding back the pain that could be felt from her lower half. She clenched a fist, and when the nerves were finally attatched, the final adjustments were made. As they connected her nerves with the automail. She breathed in heavily and managed to suck in a yell that needed to be let out. She put her head on the seat behind her and sighed heavily.

"Great job kiddo. You've got guts." Pinako said with a smile.

"She sure does grandma. Just so you know Li-san, this automail is lighter and it'll make you faster! Isn't that great?" Winry asked. Li-san seemed to be asleep, but opened one eye.

"That's great Winry-san(!)...Thank you for making me taller(!)..." she said wearily, but managed to put on a weak smile. Winry smiled back with a nod, and let Li-san get up and test the new automail Winry made for her. It was pretty cool, and she could jump really high now too! It was amazing. As she thanked Winry again with a bow, she headed off to her room for the night. Winry sighed with relief, and finally went to sleep in her own room. _'Ah..nothin' like a good night's rest after pulling off another allnighter!'_ she thought and finally shut her eyes for good until morning. As the sun finally rose, everyone woke up wearily. Li-san was the last to come down for breakfast. She was wide awake while everyone was groggy and tired.

"Hola mi amigos y amigas!" she cried happily as she entered the room. Ed's tired face was replaced with a humorous surprised look, his mouth dropped and he waved a wary finger as it shook constantly.

"Y-y-you! YOU GREW!" Ed cried.

"Li-san! How did you...You're taller then Ed!" Hazel cried as she dropped her spoon into the bowl of milk and cheerios she had.

"Let's say...I had a growth spurt." Li-san said and a glint appeared out of the corner of her eye.

"Winry did that for you! No fair no fair!" Ed whined and waved his frustrated arms up and down. Li-san turned to Winry, and did a thumbs up. Winry nodded with a laugh.

"Maybe if you were nicer and said please Ed I'd make you taller too. Oh wait, you only have 1 automail leg thank goodness." Winry said and Ed spazzed.

"IT'S JUST NOT FAIR I TELL YOU!" Ed roared.

"Brother...it's morning...settle down." Al said and sighed. As Li-san sat down, she yawned and took out her pocketwatch, putting it in her cackies.

"Huccum you're all dressed already?" Hazel asked as she put down her orange juice.

"I wanna try out my new automail. Say Ed, after breakfast you wanna spar with me?" Li-san asked as she raised her arm up, a fist formed.

"Course! I haven't had a good challenge in a while." Ed said with a laugh. As Li-san raced out after some toast, Ed followed close behind. Hazel and Al wanted to watch too. Outside, the two went all out. In the end, Li-san won!

"Wow. Li-san you sure are strong." Ed said as she helped him up.

"Thanks. I didn't think I had that much strength really." Li-san said and blushed.

"Well, we had better get to Central everyone. Say, Li-san, Hazel, who are you under?" Al asked.

"Hm? Oh... We _were_ under the jurisdiction of Basque Gran." Hazel started and stared at Li-san.

"But since we heard he died from the state alchemist assasin by the name of Scar, we were placed under the care of the Flame Alchemist just recently. It so happens we were going to report to him when we were passing through Risenbool." Li-san finished.

"I didn't like Gran anyways, but no one deserves to die like he did." Ed muttered.

"Anyways, we had better get going. Who are you under Ed?" Li-san asked.

"Same as you guys. Mustang. I hate that bastard." Ed replied simply.

"That's not very nice. We haven't even met him yet." Hazel said with a frown. Ed shrugged. As they left, Winry bid them goodbye. They traveled on the train, all the way to Central.

"Well, we haven't been here in a long time. I wonder if it's changed." Li-san said as she looked around.

"Probably hasn't." Ed said with a laugh as they walked down the halls. Officers soluted them as they walked by.

"Hey! Good to see you squirt!" a voice called.

"Don't call me squirt!" Ed cried, assuming it was for him.

"Hm? Ed? I wasn't talking to you. Haha, I was talking to Li-chan. Last time I remember she was a tiny squirt, and you were just a shrimp with a bad attitude." the voice said with a chuckle. Ed blinked. The person who had called out to them was Havoc.

"That's Li-**san** to you Havoc!" Li-san said proudly. "And I have you know that I grew see? I'm taller then Ed!" Li-san said with a laugh.

"Haha. Well I see you have! Li-san, Hazel, great to see you both again. Mustang is just etching to see you two since you know who died." Havoc said and walked on. They waved, and the four reached Mustang's office. A knock was on the door.

"Come on in." the deep voice said from the other side. The door swung open, and there he stood. Mustang, the Flame Alchemist.

"Well! Fullmetal! Wonderful to see you! And who have you brought with you?" Mustang asked with a low chuckle.

"Hazel Manson and Li-san Yamanato reporting Colonel Mustang!" the two said and soluted.

"Ah! The Soulfire and Bullseye alchemists! Welcome! You are _very_ privaledged to have me under your jurisdiction." Mustang said with a smile.

"Don't listen to him guys, he's just being a jerk." Ed whispered. Mustang frowned, and his secretary came in.

"Ah! Hawkeye, meet the Soulfire and Bullseye alchemist." Mustang said and pointed.

"It's nice to meet you. I am very interested in what you can do with guns Major Hazel." Hawkeye said with a smile and Hazel squealed.

"Well whatever I show you Lieutenant Hawkeye, you won't be disappointed!" Hazel said with a strong salute.

"Haha. At ease Major." Hawkeye said with a smile. Two people walked in right after, one that was bald except for a lone strand of yellow hair, and the other with black spiky hair, one looooong strip of bang that was i the middle of his forehead.

"Hey! Roy! I see Fullmetal's back!" the man with glasses said with a laugh.

"Ah! Lieutenant Colonel! Good to see you!" Ed said with a smile as the man put an arm around Ed with a smile.

"Oh? And who do we have here?" the man asked.

"We're the new alchemists under Mustang's jurisdiction." the two girls said with a smile.

"Ah ah! The Soulfire and Bullseye alchemists! Welcome welcome! I'm Lieutenant Colonel Hughes! And this!" he cried and took out a photo of two people. "Is my lovely wife Gracia and my adowable little 3 year-old Elysia isn't she a doll?" Hughes said with a laugh.

"She's very cute and adowable Mr. Hughes!" Li-san said with a laugh.

"And your wife is very beautiful." Hazel added with a grin.

"Ah, it's ashame there aren't many kids (or adults for that matter) like you who can appreciate my lovely pictures of my family! Unlike some _other_ people I know." Hughes said and turned to the rest of the group, dark lines appeared behind them as they lowered their heads in shame. The man with one strand of yellow hair took the girls by one of their hands, and greeted them very...strangely yet politely...

"It is a pleasure to meet the famous Soulfire and Bullseye alchemists! I am Alex Louis Armstrong! I am also known as the Strong-Arm Alchemist! I look foward to working with you during missions! I have heard good things about you two, how you're almost inseperable, like sisters! Oooh such a bond like this should be treasured forever!" he said and sobbed, pink sparkles were floating around him. Li-san and Hazel couldn't help but laugh and smile, a lone sweatdrop was seen.

"Th-thank you Mr. Armstrong!" Li-san said with a smile.

"We will be very honored to have the famous Armstrong fight alongside us! We've heard that all of your skills have been passed down from generation to generation." Hazel added with a smile.

"My my! Such smart children! It amazes me dearly!" Armstrong said dramatically, placing his hand on his chest while the other was outstretched. Li-san and Hazel could only smile and talk with him, sparkles were around all three.

"They're not human...how can they withstand Armstrong?" Ed whispered to Mustang.

"And Mr. Hughes's pictures!" Al added.

"Now now boys...they're definately human...just weird." Mustang said, a serious look on his face.

"Weird is right." Ed nodded and all of a sudden two bumps were on his head.

"WE HEARD THAT FULLMETAL!" the two cried.

"PIPSQUEAK!" Li-san cried.

"SHORTY!" Hazel roared. By this point, Ed flamed.

"SHORTY? YOU CALLED ME SHORT! AND PIPSQUEAK? OH YOU'RE SO IN FOR IT!" Ed cried and transmuted his automail arm to it's swordlike form. The two girls had sweatdrops, and ran.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" they roared as they cried a river of tears while running from the enraged Ed.

"GET BACK HERE AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE!" Ed screamed as he chased them.

"B-BROTHER! WAIT!" Al called and chased after Ed, Hazel, and Li-san.

"Sir?" Hawkeye asked and Mustang laughed, raising his hand.

"Let them have their fun. We'll need a full report from those two once they stop playing around." Mustang said with a chuckle.

"AH! ED WE WERE JUST KIDDING!" Hazel and Li-san cried as they rushed down the hall, mowing down any officer that came in their path. Ed transmuted stones to try and stop them, but they always seemed to jump over them.

"OH YEAH! NOW YOU TELL ME! WELL TOO LATE!" Ed roared as rocks were in his path, he managed to jump over all of them with Al behind crashing into them, smashing the rocks into tiny pieces.

"Brother wait! Don't chase them! Brother come back this instant!" Al cried chasing after them.

"Hazel, use your alchemy!" Li-san cried.

"What are you nuts! Hello! I don't have any guns! And even if I did, you really think killing Fullmetal would be a good idea?" Hazel cried.

"Well it'd stop him from chasing us now wouldn't it!" Li-san cried back as they ran. Suddenly, a door swung open and they looked from eachother, to the door.

"EEP!" they cried and BAM! Ed ran around the corner to stop, Al crashing into him. They looked at the two girls who were flat on the floor. Their eyes were swirlies. The person who had opened the door, was none other than the Fuhrer himself. He looked down at the two, and they both sat up painfully.

"Owch..." Hazel said as she held her head.

"You said it..." Li-san said through a sniffle. They looked up and saw the Fuhrer. He stared at them, and vice versa. They instantly got up and soluted.

"Fuhrer Bradley sir! We're sorry if we caused any damage!" the two said sternly. The Fuhrer laughed.

"Hahaha! At ease you two. I haven't seen you two in awhile. How have you been? Your search?" he asked them.

"We've been better." Li-san admitted with a nervous laugh. Wait a second, she had no clue what she was saying, but at the say time she did. Had she become the character Li-san from Fullmetal Alchemist? Had she made herself and her friend both a part of this anime! What they pretended to explain, their past, everything! Was it really making them turn into Hazel and Li-san from FMA? It couldn't be! Could it?

"Yeah. Our search has gotten a little downhill...but we're sure that we'll find more crimson stones if we travel with Fullmetal." Hazel added and the Fuhrer looked at Ed and Al.

"Hello Fuhrer." Ed said with a smile and Al bowed with a smile. The Fuhrer smiled.

"Hello Fullmetal. Well, I'm sure all of you must return to Mustang to give him a report. Off with you now. I have some business to attend. It was great running into you two." he said with a smile. As he walked out, so did his secretary. Ed and Al seemed a little spooked, and the girls knew why. They couldn't help but get a chill from her as well. She followed the Fuhrer down the hall, and only stopped to turn once back to them, her glare made them stiff.

"Let's get outta here...Suddenly it's gotten a little cold here..." Li-san said and everyone agreed as they went back to Mustang.

"So, now that we've gotten settled, it's time for your reports everyone. Who'd like to go first?" Mustang asked. No one spoke. He frowned. "How about the newcomers?" he suggested and Hazel gave Li-san a nudge.

"W-well sir...we've made only little progress in finding crimson stones. When we've found some, all the time as we try to bring them back they keep breaking, and becoming only red dust. It's frustrating really. Along the way though, this by Gran's orders...we've taken and restricted all that needed to be in Lior and put them in Central Prison." Li-san said.

"What? Why have you done that to the people in Lior? What's going on there?" Ed asked as he and Al got up. Li-san and Hazel looked at Ed and Al curiously.

"Didn't you hear? A war broke out in Lior after the people started to rebel against Cornello when he had returned from his trip somewhere far away. We sent military officers to try and make peace, but it didn't work. By Gran's orders, we were...ordered to do anything possible to stop this. Even if it meant..." Hazel started.

"Even if it meant killing lives..." Li-san finished and Ed frowned, an angered look on his face.

"But we got rid of Cornello! We did it ourselves how could he survived!" Ed cried. The room grew silent. Ed clenched a fist, and sat down with a thump. Mustang cleared his throat, and motioned for the girls to continue if there needed to be anything else said. Li-san shook her head. As Ed's turn came, he told about Lior, about the Psiren they ran into, giving advice about the Stone, about Russell and Fletcher who posed as them to get what they wanted, and finally up to Scar and meeting Li-san and Hazel.

"I see. That's all. All of you can leave now." Mustang said as he turned.

"Sir, we need to get to the Central Library." Ed said.

"The library? But that's-" Hawkeye started, and was silenced.

"Why Fullmetal?" Mustang asked.

"We need information on something. Something important that only concerns us. Personal. We'd like to take Hazel and Li-san with us." Al answered.

"Yeah. Actually, we'd like them to come with us and be a part of our mission, no more other stuff for them to do." Ed added and Mustang nodded.

"Fine. You may. Now, go." Mustang said with a sigh and they walked out the door. When it closed, Hawkeye gave Mustang a puzzled look.

"Sir, don't you think it would have been wise if we told the boys that the library was burned down a few days before they arrived here?" Hawkeye asked.

"They'll find out on their own." Mustang replied. As the four arrived at the library, they were accompanied by Maria Ross and Denny Blotch.

A/N: okay, u all prolly know what's gonna happen next and all if u've seen the episode and all. so, yes lol it's not that long either i must admit, but it does deal with the main ingredient for the philosopher's stone and all. also, there will be a difference (example: with lab 5) so just lettin ya know! anywayz, chapter 3 will be up soon! The Main Ingredient for the Philosopher's Stone! Stay Tuned! lol -Em


	3. Philosopher's Main Ingredient

A/N: here's chapter 3! thank u all reviewers by the way! hm..what else..nothin really! anywayz, again, here's chapter 3! Happy Reading:)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of it's characters, however Li-san and Hazel I do own :)  
Hazel: Whoever said you owned me!  
EmiieRoxs: I did. And I do  
Hazel: Hell no!  
EmiieRoxs: Hell yes. No more arguing!  
Li-san: Um..can we get on with the chapter you guys?  
EmiieRoxs and Hazel: NO! (hazel and emiieroxs are fighting)  
Li-san: . . . here's chapter 3! Happy reading!  
( minor humor readers)

**Chapter 3: Philosopher's Main Ingredient**

"You're telling me that it burned down three days ago!" Ed cried.

"Yes sir. It seemed that Scar and some other people were fighting inside during the night, and the books caught fire somehow. We haven't found the culprits though since they got away." Denny explained.

"Damn. Do you have any remains of the books?" Ed asked.

"Right over here sir." Maria said and a huge pile of ash was in front of them. Ed smiled and clapped his hands together.

"Now all I have to do is transmute this pile." he said with a smile. Suddenly, a breeze blew and all the ash flew away. Everyone had a sweatdrop behind their heads.

"Great..now what Brother?" Al asked.

"I dunno...I didn't think we'd have to think of something when we had the clue for the Truth right in our hands..." Ed said with a sigh.

"Um, we have a suggestion." Hazel said.

"Yeah?" the brothers asked.

"We could go see Sciezka." Li-asn said. The brothers didn't know who this Sciezka was, but if she could help...they'd take anything, or anyone for that matter.

"Sciezka's a bookworm, literally. She memorizes books!" Li-san exclaimed.

"And she use to work for the Central Library, but she got fired some time ago. That was only because she was reading all the books instead of working sometimes. If Sciezka can't help us, then no one can." Hazel added. This was cool, they had given advice to the brothers to go to Sciezka. They would have done anyways soon, but it was better if they told them! They knocked on the door, but it was open. They heard a squeal for help, and all they saw were books.

"OHMYGOD! SHE'S BURIED UNDERNEATH! DIG FOR YOUR LIFE!" Hazel roared and everyone dug through the books, all to just have a pile fall on top of them with their legs up, twitching slightly.

Sciezka and everyone sighed once they got her out of that pile, and she thanked them over and over again. They said it was no problem with slight smiles.

"Now, what is it that you want with me?" Sciezka asked.

"Well, Sciezka, last time we visited we knew that you were a great bookworm, and that you knew and memorized every book you ever read in that library." Li-san explained.

"Right. So, we're looking for books that are by Tim Marcoh, do you remember any books made by that guy Sciezka?" Hazel asked. Sciezka thought, and her mind clicked.

"Yeah! I remember it! Perfect! I'll have it for you...in three days!" she said.

"THREE DAYS!" the four teens cried.

"Well yes. It's hard work you know writing down everything in the book that Marcoh made." Sciezka replied. The four sighed, and decided that it would be best to just wait for three days. As they headed back to Central, they waited for three days. Finally, Sciezka hadn't failed them and had Marcoh's book in front of them.

"Are you sure this is right Sciezka?" Maria asked sceptically. The only main book Marcoh wrote was entitled: "Today's Menu, 1000 Dishes." As Denny and Maria argued a little with Sciezka, all four teens nodded in success.

"This is perfect." they said at once and dug into the book. Maria and Denny would be watching them, in case Scar would attack. As they searched for hours on what was the main ingredient for the Philosopher's Stone, they had no luck. They decide to take a break. Throughout that short break, Li-san and Hazel were silent.

"Ed..Al...there's something you should know..." Li-san started and Hazel shook her head no.

"What is it Li?" Al asked.

"I'm sorry Hazel, but I think they deserve to know." Li-san muttered.

"Know what? What do you know that we don't?" Ed asked as he stood above them.

"The...The main ingredient...to making a Philosopher's Stone..." Hazel whispered and Ed grabbed her by the shirt.

"What! You're saying you knew all along?" Ed roared. Maria and Denny listened from outside.

"Sort of...We're not sure if it's right or not but...we've hidden it from Central for quite some time now." Li-san said.

"Well? What is it? The final ingredient?" Ed cried.

"Brother! Get ahold of yourself and let Hazel go!" Al cried as he lifted his brother. Hazel flopped back to her position, both had sad faces on. The brothers waited for their answer.

"While we searched for the Crimson Stones...we found a shocking discovery...The Philosopher's Stone...the final and main ingredient is.." Hazel started and just shuddered.

"Yes! What is it!" Ed cried.

"Ed...are you really able to face the truth?" Li-san asked and Ed nodded eagerly.

"The main ingredient..." Hazel started. Ed and Al looked at the two, wide eyed.

"Is...human lives..." Li-san whispered. Everyone was in silence, they gasped and their eyes were widened in disbelief. Ed, mouth agape, dropped to the floor.

"You..You're sure?.." Ed asked.

"Yes...If Marcoh's book contains that information as well then...it's true." Hazel replied. Ed searched through the book himself for hours, and finally found the answer. Exactly as they put it. He couldn't believe this! After all he and Al had gone through, after all Hazel and Li-san tried to think was wrong, this was the final result. It couldn't be...why would it be!

"If this is...the final ingredient then...there's no hope. We're done..." Ed said quietly and the four were silent. It had been two days since that day, and no one spoke at all. They were all silent. Finally, Maria decided to take things into her own hands. One day she entered the room the four were staying. Ed was facing the couch as he was spread out on it. Al and Li-san were sitting on the floor next to the small table while Hazel was sitting on a chair reading a book.

"Brother...Maybe we should look over it. Maybe we missed something." Al said quietly.

"We didn't. I looked. Even Hazel and Li-san said that before I found the answer." Ed answered.

"But still! It doesn't hurt..." Al protested. It was like the four didn't notice Lieutenant Ross and Blotch had entered.

"Just stop it Al..." Ed said quietly. Li-san looked from both sides, and then to Al.

"Al...I'll, help you if you want. Maybe we're all wrong, and that we're missing something." Li-san said.

"Li-san you're not serious are you?" Hazel asked and Li-san turned to her friend.

"I am. Maybe Al's right. We could have missed something here! I think it's good to try and find out the real truth before we go expecting anything!" Li-san cried. Her knowledge of fma was completely wiped out of her mind, like Hazel's. They were now their fma character selves, not knowing or remembering the **real** truth behind truths.

"You're just going to end up at the same answer again. It's hopeless why don't you just face facts?" Hazel asked. Li-san didn't answer, and asked Al to hand her some of the papers. He did so, and Ed stood up.

"You guys are hopeless, just like Hazel said! Why don't you just face it like an adult huh?" Ed asked.

"Brother, we're trying. That's all that matters." Al answered.

"Yeah...I have a feeling we're not seeing the real truth." Li-san replied and gasped.

"What's wrong?" Hazel asked, alarmed.

"That's it! Ed! In the note, what does it say!" Li-san asked.

"What? Oh..." he said and skimmed through. When he came to the last sentence, it was: The Truth Behind Truths.

"That's it! THAT'S IT! The Truth Behind Truths. We found out the first truth, there must be something behind it! There has to be!" Li-san cried.

"Brother! She's right! Let's look again!" Al exclaimed. Ed and Hazel seemed to have hope in their eyes, and they joined.

"Oh...Hello there Ross, Blotch. Would you like to help us?" Li-san asked brightly and they gradually walked over. As the group read over everything carefully, Ed came to a conclusion.

"Hm...now let me see if I have this straight. The first truth we've found out is that the main ingredient for the stone is the lives of humans..." Ed started.

"True." Al said.

"The thing is, Marcoh's never succeeded in creating the stone, even though his research and his theory are perfect." Li-san said.

"Then there must be another way, an alternate method that could be used to make the stone!" Hazel cried and snapped her fingers.

"Right. Now let' see...the ingredient for the stone requires a large-scale facility where people are..." Ed said and pulled out a map of Central.

"There are five labs here in Central. We just need to find the right one." Al said and they looked. When four of the labs were asked about, they turned into a failure.

"What about...this one? Lab 5?" Li-san asked and pointed.

"Lab 5...it's where all the culprits go." Denny explained.

"It was also controlled by Brigadier General Basque Gran." Ross added. Li-san and Hazel gasped, awestruck that their first boss was the one who owned that place. Could he have been in on it all along?

"Then that's definately the place. We'll go there tommorow evening." Ed said. Everyone nodded.

"Now hold on there Edward, you're still a child. Let us go first tommorow, and then we'll take you with us. All of you are far too young to risk your life. Especially when you want to go at night. Why is it that you want to go in the evening?" Ross said with a frown. The four were silent.

"Well, see at night it will be easier because we won't wake anyone up there. After all you did mention a while ago that it was abandoned a long time ago right?" Ed answered.

"True. But why not in the afternoon?" Blotch asked.

"Just cause. Trust us." Ed snapped. They sighed.

"Fine. But we'll go first in the evening and that's final." Ross said and Ed sighed. As Hazel was about to protest, Ed motioned her to be quiet.

"Okay. You can go first. Just don't let us down." Ed said with a smile and winked at the others when Ross and Denny smiled, eyes closed, not seeing. As they left, Hazel and Li-san laughed.

"Ed, are you sure it's okay for us to go without their permission?" Hazel asked with a smile.

"Yeah. This deals with us only, we wouldn't want the military getting in our way now would we?" Ed answered.

"Still, we'll have to be careful that they won't hear us. We'll have to go before they plan to." Al said.

"Yeah, you're right. We'll sneak out our room tommorow night by using the sheets. That's okay with you guys, right?" Ed asked. The girls nodded with a smile. So it would be settled, they would go to Lab 5 alone. By this time, it was getting late. It was already 9:30, and the sun had already set. The night was young, the stars just beginning to shine. Hazel and Li-san decided to go for a walk that evening. Something had to be discussed, and it was either now or never. They didn't tell Ed and Al what it was about, just that they'd be around Central for a while. When they left, little did they know, they were being watched by three suspicious characters lurking in the shadows... The question was, what did these mysterious beings want with the two young alchemists?

A/N: Hm...I wonder who the mysterious characters are...cough homunculi cough lol i hope that gives you a hint. the only question is, which ones? ooooOOooo lol if u've seen the ep. u know which ones. i'll say there are 3 for another hint. anyways, please R&R! and for those of u who have and stuck with this story, thank u! -Em (next time! Chapter 4: Runin with the Homunculi)


	4. Runin With The Homunculi

A/N: hey ev'rybody EmiieRoxs here, and, what's this! she's updated! here's chapter 4! it's long too! lol u believe me, but it's 15 pages haha so i hope u can withstand this long chapter! I will say that the runin with the homunculi won't be pretty. i was feelin dark and evil-ish and i made li-san get more automail...just warnin u guys bout that! The good news is, the ending is a minor funny thing :) anyways, plz leave a review if u like this story so far! i've had so much fun with it since the first chapter, actin out all the funny parts haha! again, plz R&R! and Happy Reading!

**Chapter 4: Runin with the Homunculi**

As they walked down the halls of Central HQ, they snuck outside to sit by a bench. They sighed, wondering what to say. It seemed to be just a blur about their true selves, and the real world they came from. What was happening? What was going on?

"Hazel..you don't think that we could change the FMA manga and anime, do you?" Li-san asked.

"Well, what do you think we're doing now? We've gotten this far...I'd say we're at least somewhat half way through..." Hazel answered. Li-san hung her head.

"There's that...and, do you think that we're becoming the characters we've created?" Li-san asked quietly.

"We could be..and that's a bad thing. I had a dream one night Li-san, and it was about my 'mom' in this world...it was horrible and I wish I never had that dream." Hazel explained.

"Then how do we get back to my house? I can't remember the circle I used...it's too blurry for me to remember." Li-san asked.

"I don't know..maybe we'll have to play out the whole FMA anime to get home. To get back." Hazel replied.

"Hazel..." Li-san said quietly.

"Yeah?" Hazel asked.

"I'm scared...I sometimes forget my real parents...my real home, our real friends...I'm becoming more like Li-san Yamanato, the Soulfire alchemist." Li-san said.

"Yeah...same here. We need to keep hold of the memories we have of the real world if we'll ever get back there." Hazel replied. Suddenly, there was a rustle and a shadow appeared.

"Who's there?" Li-san asked. The figure was a woman, some of her hair was in her eye. She had pink snake eyes, and she had a red tattoo on her chest.

"Answer her question!" Hazel cried.

"Relax, both of you. I am Lust, and you are alchemists who can help me achieve my goal." the creature, Lust said.

"L-Lust?. . . Hazel!" Li-san gasped when she could make out the tattoo the mysterious woman had. "She's a homunculous I can tell!" Li-san excalimed and Lust charged, her fingers extended. Li-san and Hazel were able to dodge, and ran seperate ways.

"I can't help Li-san! I don't have my guns!" Hazel cried.

"Then go get them! I'll fight against Lust for now. While you go get your guns, get Ed and Al too for backup!" Li-san answered and charged at Lust while Hazel hastily went back into HQ. Li-san dodged attacks from Lust, and she clapped her hands together to create a spear. It looked similar to Ed's, but it was blue and had a phoenix instead of a dragon on it.

"What do you want with us? How can we help you?" Li-san cried. What kind of question was that! Her knowledge of Fullmetal Alchemist was too good to not know what the homunculous wanted! But then again...her other side had no clue! How could she regain control if she began to lose herself on the other side? The side where she was only a kid who dreamed of becoming something anime like.

"You're searching for the red stones, the Elrics are searching for the Philosopher's Stone. I only managed to get two out of four." Lust answered and kept attacking. Li-san's spear was grasped, and then cut to bits. Li-san gasped and tried to regain her balance. She needed distance now.

"So we're working with the Elrics together! Big deal! Wait...You! You want to become human!" Li-san cried as she backed away.

"You're good. Of course we want to become human." Lust answered and stopped her attack, standing as still as stone, hands were folded across her chest.

"W..We? We who?" Li-san asked, a waver of fear in her voice. Behind her, she heard a laugh and turned. There was someone, white little beady eyes stared at her. The thing was fat no doubt, and it's tongue had the tattoo that Lust had as well.

"Can I eat her Lust!" the thing asked.

"N-n-no! You wouldn't want me! I...I'm not nutricious!" Li-san cried, waving her hands in the air.

"I told you Gluttony, you must not eat her because she will help us in our goal." Lust replied calmly.

"I say we give her a beating if she won't do what we want her to." a low female's voice said. Behind Gluttony was...Hazel?

"Hazel? How can you say that! Have you lost your mind!" Li-san cried.

"You fool. I'm not Hazel. I'm Envy." the person said as Hazel became someone with green hair, and a bandana on it's forehead. She was surrounded by homunculi. She looked in fear, and clapped her hands together, slapping them to the ground. Spikes were made and it went through each of the homunculous. Blood splattered on the ground, and she ran away from them. _'Hazel...hurry!'_ Li-san thought and ran. Her life was in danger, and if she died here then it'd be all over. For the Soulfire alchemist, and Li-san herself...

Hazel ran through headquarters shouting that an attack was made and that they needed backup outside. She hastily grabbed her guns and burst into Ed and Al's room. Bad timing, Ed was half naked, getting ready to get into the shower.

"MY GAWD!" Hazel cried as she opened the door and then shut her eyes.

"GAH! HAZEL! THIS BETTER BE GOOD!" Ed cried as he covered his lower half.

"It is! Li-san's fighting against a homunculous by the name of Lust!" Hazel cried as she tried to feel her way around the room. When Ed was dressed she opened her eyes and bumped into a chair, tripping over it and landing on her stomach. Al luckily managed to help her up.

"Did you say...Lust! Come on!" Ed cried and the three rushed out the door, Mustang, Armstrong, Hawkeye, and Hughes following close behind.

The homunculi didn't take long to recover, and came after her. She hid in a nearby bush, and made no sound. She shook all over, and in just one gulp she could feel something sharp brush against her neck. She squealed lightly, and heard a whisper say, "Boo." She jumped out of the bush and ran into Gluttony who held her tightly.

"Lemme go lemme go! I demand to be put down this instant!" Li-san shouted.

"Hmph. You won't be needing these now will you?" Envy said and took her alchemy gloves away. He tore them to shreds. There went her chance of another escape. Fear began to take over.

"Calm down. We only want you to come with us quietly and willingly. We have equipment ready for you. You could have the Philosopher's Stone. You could make everything right again." Lust said to her. Li-san couldn't resist this offer, and yet she was. Her knowledge of the show knew that if she did that, the homunculi would win! Then again, her FMA self begged to differ.

"Wh..Where is it?" she asked.

"Laboratory 5. Come with us now, and don't let Gluttony dig his fangs into you if you try and resist." Envy said happily.

"N-no! The ingredient for the Philosopher's Stone is human lives! I would NEVER do that just to gain something for myself and for my friends!" she cried. Gluttony was about to bite down, when all of a sudden, a gunshot had hit Envy right through the head and he fell to the ground, to get slowly back up. Lust and Gluttony looked up to see an unexpected group rush over to them.

"Put the girl down and step away from her!" Hawkeye instructed as she raised her fire again.

"Don't hurt my friend!" Hazel roared and fired a transmutation bullet. It hit Lust on the shoulder, and her arm was transmuted! Blood splattered, but Lust regained herself and her wound healed. They all stopped a few feet away from the homunculi and their hostage. Li-san shook all over, scared to death. Gluttony's teeth were just a few inches away from sinking into her flesh and probably breaking her bones in mere seconds. Ed clapped his hands, and made his metal arm into it's sword mode. Al got ready, Hughes had his knives, Armstrong his alchemy, and Mustang ready to snap.

"Do you really want to risk this girl's life?" Lust asked.

"Just let her go! What do you want!" Mustang cried. _'I will not let anyone die under my jurisdiction!'_

"We just want her, Fullmetal, his brother, and the Soulfire alchemist to come with us. We have business to attend with them and if they won't come willingly then-"

"Shut the Hell up! If you want us you'll have to fight us! Free Li-san right now!" Ed roared. Lust looked at Gluttony and in seconds Li-san's cry could be heard through the night. Gluttony bit down hard on Li-san's right shoulder, and he began to sink in deeper. She screamed as blood began to pour down her right arm and on to the ground. Everyone backed away slightly, making no attempt to attack. Li-san could hear her bones crack from Gluttony's powerful jaws, and the pain was too much to bare. Tears began to run down her face. She couldn't feel anything in her shoulder, it was completely destroyed. Her arm down seemed to be just a bit paralyzed, her hand still in tact, for now at least.

"STOP IT! STOP IT PLEASE!" Hazel cried. Lust nodded to Gluttony, and he stopped, a frown on his face.

"Tasty...like chicken." Gluttony said sadly, a finger in his mouth as the blood on his teeth began to salivate down his mouth from drooling too much. Li-san fell to her knees with a thud, holding her shoulder in pain, holding back tears that were already streaming down her face. She was shaking all over, blood still managed to hit the cold ground from her wound.

"Step away from the girl." Mustang said fiercely.

"Go on, try. I dare you." Lust answered and Mustang started to grit his teeth. Lust walked over to Li-san, and her fingers extended to it's sharp razor claws. She put her free hand on Li-san's other shoulder, while the claws were raised above her wound. If she didn't move her hand, then that would be worse! Mustang drew back, and gave a stare.

"What do we do sir?" Hawkeye asked. This was a fight that they couldn't win.

"We...we need to give them what they want. It's the only way.." Mustang said quietly.

"Good. We seem to have come to terms." Lust said as she retracted her claws, moving away from the girl. Mustang saw the opportunity and snapped his fingers. The fire rushed at Lust, and surprisingly, Gluttony got in the way! He opened his mouth, and the flames seemed to have been eaten by the big lug! Everyone gasped. Ed and Al knew two out of three, but the third was a mystery. Another scream from Li-san made everyone freeze. Lust's claws were through her shoulder, and her hand. She slowly withdrew her claws, and Li-san moaned in pain as blood rushed to the ground. When let out her left hand dropped, she was unable to move it. Lust stayed by Li-san.

"Next time Flame, don't let my trust with you die." Lust hissed with a wicked smile. Hazel couldn't help but start to cry.

"Ed..We need to do something! We have to help her!" Hazel cried as she grabbed his arm and shook it. Ed was helpless to answer, Al began to walk foward.

"A-Al! What are you doing?" Ed cried.

"Brother...we have to go. You know as well as I do, that what they're talking about is the stone." Al said. Ed gasped, but sighed.

"Yeah...you're right but...it still needs human sacrifice.." Ed muttered.

"We just want you to come with us to Lab 5. We have everything set, even the sacrifices are there." Envy said to Ed.

"And who the Hell are you!" Ed called.

"Watch your tongue little one. I am Envy." Envy said menacingly. He walked over to Li-san. "Let me have a go at the torture Lust, I need a good toy to play with." Envy said.

"Don't touch her you bastard!" Hazel yelled. While everyone was fixed on one another, Li-san was able to use her right hand as she made her blood a circle. Lust gasped.

"No!" Lust cried and her claw extended to stop Li-san from using her alchemy. It was all too late. Lust's claws were through Li-san's flesh, just a little bit away from her wrist. It was no use though, the cirlce had already been activated.

"Nngh...Get...away from me!" Li-san roared and the circle was activated. All of them were hit with ground spikes through their chests, and Li-san staggered to them. When she was safe from them, they ran for it. A few minutes later, they had military officers guarding anywhere they could. Hazel, Ed, Al, Armstrong, Mustang, Blotch, and Hughes were waiting outside. Hazel paced back and forth frantically. She put a hand to her chest to try and calm herself down. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Mustang.

"Don't worry. I'm sure she'll be fine." he said to her. His voice was still low, but filled with comfort.

"I just...I can't believe...I...I almost thought I was going to lose her..." Hazel said and tears came to her eyes.

"It's okay...you have to have faith." Mustang said as she hugged him tightly. He comforted her while Ed and Al were silent.

"Ed...that was a close one...do you think we should go to Lab 5 still?" Al asked quietly.

"You bet...We don't need to bring them...I don't think they'd want to come anyways..." Ed replied rather somewhat loudly. He was slapped by Hazel. "What the HELL was that for!" Ed cried.

"You're an idiot you know that Ed! Li-san almost lost her life tonight and all you can think about is the homunculi's offer? You're so selfish Ed you make me sick to my stomach!" Hazel cried, the tears burst.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to! Al and I...we need to know." Ed said.

"So you're willing to sacrifice those lives and venture into danger knowing that it's a trap?" Hazel cried. Ed was silent. The room grew silent as well. Suddenly they heard a voice call from the hall. It was Winry!

"Where are they?" Winry cried to an officer and then saw the group standing outside an emergency room in Central HQ. She rushed up to Hazel.

"How is she do you know?" Winry asked and Hazel only pointed. Winry said it was going to be okay, and rushed inside, her toolbox and some automail parts with her. Hazel had a bad feeling as to why Winry was here.

"Ed..you don't think that she..." Hazel started.

"I don't know...but if Winry's here then if anything needs to happen she's the best mechanic to call." Ed said with a slight smile. Hazel forgot about her arguement with Ed, and sat beside him. She clenched her fists, and they started to shake. Ed put a hand on hers.

"Don't worry...stay calm." he said to her with a smile. She blushed slightly, and nodded sadly. A few more hours had passed, and still no one seemed to give a sign as to when they would come out. Hazel began to become more frantic. She couldn't stand this, she had to get in there! She started to walk to the door, but Armstrong stopped her.

"I know you're worried Miss Manson but I assure you that they will be out in minutes, you'll see. You must have faith in your friends. They know what they are doing. Have courage." Armstrong said to her as his sparkles were around him. Hazel nodded, and the tears began to come back. Hughes could only sigh and he tried now. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned and he gave a kind smile.

"Why are you crying? There's nothing to cry for. Your friend is strong. Everyone's right. You need to just have faith, and be patient." Hughes said to her.

"I...I...She's more than just my friend! She's..She's...she's my sister and I love her and if anything ever happens to her again like this I'll never forgive myself!" Hazel cried and Hughes was taken aback by this. Ed and Al were silent, and could feel Hazel's pain. Hazel and Li-san had said from the very beginning that they were so close, like sisters. A few more minutes past, and Hawkeye, Maria, and Winry came out. Everyone stood up, and Hazel rushed to them.

"What happened is she all right!" Hazel asked.

"We're sorry we've worried you all, but she's all right now." Hawkeye said quietly.

"Can we see her?" Hazel asked.

"I'm sorry Hazel...not until morning. Li-san still needs some rest." Maria said. Hazel sighed.

"That's right...and I, need to make some adjustments..." Winry said silently and excused herself, re-entering the emergency room.

"Promise me she'll be okay. She has to be guarded!" Hazel demanded and they made sure she would be. Everyone would stay up until morning here. It was for the best. As they took turns guarding, really it was the adults who did the guarding. Ed, Al, and Hazel were still just kids. So was Winry who finished her upgrading a couple of minutes later, and when she came out she went to sleep pretty quickly. When morning finally came, they woke up to see Li-san in front of them. She looked different. She was wearing one of those outfits that patients wore at a hospital. Li-san couldn't help but smile, and at the same time cry.

"Hi everyone...I'm sorry I made you worry." was all she could say. Hazel immediately got up and hugged Li-san tightly.

"Oh thank the lord you're all right! Oh Li! I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here right now! You scared me half to death Li!" Hazel cried. She could feel her friend's new automail on her right shoulder down, and the half automail arm on her left. It went from her elbow down to her hand.

"I'm sorry Hazel...don't cry. I'm okay now. And um...you're kind of making it hard to breathe...Air..Air..I NEED AIR!" Li-san said and immediately Hazel let go as Li-san gasped a little. Everyone couldn't help but smile happily. When Li-san was dressed, she sighed heavily.

"How's...the automail doing for you?" Winry asked.

"Very good thanks. I'm amazed that you were able to add a firing mini cannon in this one." Li-san replied and raised her left arm. The arm part disappeared and showed a cannon, ready to fire.

"B-b-be careful with that thing!" Ed cried and hid behind Al.

"Haha. Don't worry I can--" BOOOOM! Everyone's eyes bulged, their pupil's were small, even Li-san. "...handle it...oops...I'll pay for that I swear!" she finished. Luckily, the mini cannon didn't hit anybody...except made a huge gap in the wall. It showed the sunrise at least.

"It's a good thing you've just come out of surgery." Mustang said, his eye twitched. Li-san grew small, and whimpered, wondering what Mustang would have done. When she regained her size, she only chuckled nervously, hand behind head.

"Aheheh...At least you can uh...enjoy the scenery?" Li-san covered and everyone gave her an _evil_ glare (evil!). Sweatdrops began to appear behind her head pretty quickly. When the four teens went back to their room, Ed and Al told Maria and Denny that they weren't going to go to Lab 5. Maria and Denny nodded, and walked off. When the door was shut, Li-san decided to get new clothes. She had her two transmutation gloves on, and a light blue jacket. It had on the back a special transmutation circle that was silver colored. The room was silent, and each one were doing their own thing. Finally, Al spoke.

"Um, Hazel, Li-san...Brother and I, tonight we're going to go to Lab 5." Al announced.

"Are you serious? So you really are going to that trap?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah. You bet we are. We just wanted to tell you, so don't squeal on us." Ed replied. Li-san lifted her eyes from the ground.

"We won't tell. I think we should come." Li-san said.

"What are you all crazy!" Hazel exclaimed to her friend.

"Come on Hazel, we've been through more dangerous things then this. I'm sure just going to check it out will be all right." Li-san replied.

"You're nuts! You almost lost your life, and now, knowing it's a trap you want to come with them!" Hazel cried.

"Hazel, I know that but still... I think this is a once in a life time opportunity. Besides, we'll be together and face anything that needs to be dealt with." Li-san said with a shrug. It was then that Hazel felt a pang in her gut. This was the Li-san from Fullmetal Alchemist, not the Li-san from the real world. Had she really lost her memories of everything back in the real world? Hazel had to snap Li-san out of this before it was too late!

"Hazel? Are you all right?" Li-san asked, concerned. Hazel pulled her over.

"Are you out of your mind Li-san?" Hazel whispered.

"I might be, but I told you this is a one in a life time chance." Li-san replied. Hazel sighed, and hoped this would work. She needed to have Li-san remember things and people from her real life. She felt it was the only way.

"Do you know anyone that goes by the name of Sanjee? Or Abbie? Or Ellen or Jackie, or Marleana? Even...Even Alaina my sister!" Hazel asked. Li-san blinked.

"Do you?...Do you have friends that I don't know about Hazel? A sister? You have a sister?" Li-san asked.

"Li snap out of it! Don't you remember? The real world! Our moms and dads! Our friends! Everything! Our school! Our teachers our um...uh...awesome toys and games! Dvds that are about anime!" Hazel cried.

"Real world? Hazel, your mom and my dad are dead. What are you talking about? Are you feeling well?" Li-san asked. Hazel couldn't help but cry.

"No. I'm not. You're the one who's not feeling well. Li-san, try and remember. Sanjee, he's your best friend! And me! I'm your anime buddy for life! And Abbie, she's your bus buddy! Try and remember Li-san! Please! Besides, even though you're incredibly forgetful to the point that it's humorous, you can't forget about the real world!" Hazel explained. Li-san blinked some more, and then had a surprised look on her face. She held her head tightly at first, and tried to remember.

"Sanjee...he's my best friend...Abbie, we promised we'd be bus buddies for life...Jackie, Ellen, Marleana...they're all my close friends. And yeah..you have a little sister..both obsessed with Fruits Basket..." Li-san muttered.

"That's it Li-san, that's it! And I have you know we're not obsessed." Hazel said, eyes half narrowed. Li-san opened her eyes, and looked around cluelessly.

"What's going on?" Li-san asked.

"Do you know anything about your non fullmetal life?" Hazel asked.

"Um...you're my friend and we got here by using a transmutation circle in my basement?" Li-san replied, confused.

"Oh thank goodness! No matter what Li you have to remember how we got here and your life before becoming an fma character. I almost lost you! Again! You were becoming your character and we can't let that happen!" Hazel cried.

"Yeah...right. You're right. We need to keep remembering who we really are. Thanks Hazel." Li-san said with a smile. Hazel couldn't help but smile back. Li-san then opened her eyes and narrowed them.

"And I do remember what you just said about my short term memory. I have you know I don't forget! I just...have trouble remembering!" Li-san exclaimed.

"Li...forgetting and having trouble remembering, kinda the same thing." Hazel said.

"GAH! THERE YOU GO AGAIN!" Li-san whined. Hazel couldn't help but laugh.

"Even though you have a bad memory, you're still a great friend so don't worry if your memory sucks." Hazel said and put an arm around her friend. Li-san couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks Hazel... Now, are you coming with Ed, Al, and me or not?" Li-san asked and Hazel slapped her hand on her forehead. She looked at Li-san, and flicked her on the forehead: HARD.

"Owwww! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!" (Li)

"For being an idiot!" (Hazel) WHACK!

"OWWWW! WAAAHAAH! ED-D! HAZEL'S HURTING ME!" (Li)

A/N: well, chapter 4 is complete! lol i am hoping that u got the impression at the end Li was acting like Momiji from furuba (a little humor haha) . anyways, plz leave a review if u r likin this story ;) . Pleeeeeeeeeease? lol besides that, chapter 5 will be on it's way! Guess what the title is? Aw c'mon guess! It's obvious! anyways, next time on Fullmetal Adventure! Chapter 5: Laboratory 5! laterz -Em


	5. Laboratory 5

A/N: here's chapter 5! lab 5 (there are oooohs and aaaahs in the backround LOL like from catholic high ev'ryone! heheh u had to be there) what will happen next! read to find out! plz review too ;) Happy Reading! o yea, just to tell u i sorta sped up the battle between numbuh 66 and 48 so plz don' flame for that -bows apologetically- 'sides that, Happy Reading (again)!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own fullmetal or any of it's characters. only li-san and hazel :)

**Chapter 5: _Laboratory 5_**

The four crept silently down the window, making no sound to alarm the military officers that heavily guarded Central HQ. Al's armor clinked so much they were scared that they'd get caught!

"Al, keep it low!" Hazel snapped.

"Sorry, I can't!" Al whispered back. When then finally reached Lab 5, it seemed to be pretty old. Little did they know they were being watched... As Ed jumped up, he brought down some wires so that all three could get up. As they entered the small lab, there was a shoot that only people who were small could fit in. Al was able to get Ed up, and he motioned for Hazel to come with him.

"Hey! What about me!" Li-san cried.

"You stay here with Al! Sorry Al, but you're just too big to fit through here!" Ed answered. Al went into his funny armor depression.

"You know it's not my fault that I'm big.." Al sobbed and Li-san put a hand on his shoulder.

"And you're younger then me so I'm telling you to stay here with Al! I thought you would like that Li-san." Hazel teased.

"H-H-Hazel!" Li-san cried and blushed.

"Are you saying that your friend has a crush on my brother?" Ed asked.

"HAZEL DON'T YOU!-"

"Something like that." Hazel answered and Li-san went completely red. Without saying another word, the two pressed on while Al and Li-san waited outside. Li-san sat beside Al, avoiding eye contact as she stared at the ground, wide eyed and pretty red.

"L..Li? Was that true?.." Al, a little afraid, asked. Li-san gulped and nodded up and down very quickly, sweatdrops flying in all directions. Al's helmet went into it's cute surprised look, and he blushed as he looked at the ground too. They were silent. Al turned to Li-san.

"I'm flattered Li...but you don't even, you don't even know what I look like...what I truly look like in my human form." Al said quietly, sadly. Li-san gasped and looked at Al. She shook her head and smiled.

"That's not true Al. I do know what you look like. And even in that armor, I can always picture you as the 14 year old boy you are. I saw a picture of you and Ed in Risenbool, and you looked really, cute..." Li-san said as she continued to blush.

"R-really?..." Al said, and he started to cry happily.

"Yeah...You're kind too, and smart. And that's just...exactly what I like in a guy like you. You're so sweet, and it's just hard not to love you and have a slight...crush on you.." Li-san said. Al smiled.

"Thank you Li-san...Thank you." Al said and Li-san smiled. Suddenly, a surprise attack made the two alert, on their feet.

"Why hello there! I'm sorry to say but you're on private property. What right do you have to be here?" the person asked. It was actually a person inside armor!

"Who are you?" Al asked.

"Me? I go by the name Number 66, but I've also been known as Barry the Chopper." the armor said with a sneer.

"B-Barry the Chopper? But you..you were arrested I was there!" Al exclaimed.

"That's right. But in Lab 5 I became Number 66. I'm an attatched spirit." Barry explained.

"Well, so am I. So the playing field is even." Al said as he got into position.

"I'm right behind you Al!" Li-san cried as she clapped her hands. Now a sword was in her hands.

"No. Li, I want you to go find Brother and Hazel. I'll hold this guy off." Al instructed, and Li-san reluctantly ran off through a hole she made using alchemy through the wall. _'Good luck Al.'_ she thought.

Ed and Hazel had made it to a wide area in the lab, and already they had run into an unexpected guest. He went by the name of Number 48. As Hazel and Ed fought against Number 48, they discovered more about Lab 5, and finally, having defeated the Numbers 48, they were able to press on to their goal.

"HEEEEEYY!" a voice shouted and the two prepared themselves. The voice called again.

"Who's there!" Hazel cried.

"It's me! Li-san!" Li-san cried as she finally caught up with them.

"What are you doing here Li! I told you to wait with Al!" Hazel scolded.

"I was. But Al told me to find you guys. He's fighting with Number 66 who says his name was Barry the Chopper at one time." Li-san explained.

"Barry! The Chopper? But we...I...he went to--"

"To this prison. Turns out that his soul's been attatched to a weird armor." Li-san finished. Ed was silent, and Hazel looked worried.

"Well, let's get going. We'd better hurry...the homunculi probably won't wait that much longer." Ed finally said.

"Now hold on Ed, you're really hurt are you sure we should be doing this? Maybe we should turn back now that we've been attacked and all..." Hazel protested.

"And let the military know that we went out without their orders? No way! I'm fine Hazel, don't worry about me." Ed reassured her and without any more discussion, the three pressed on.

As Al fought against Number 66, the two had a very interesting conversation...

"You say you're the real Alphonse Elric, but how do we really know that?" 66 asked.

"Because! I believe my brother! He can't be lying to me!" Al answered.

"Are you sure that your so called 'Brother' told you the truth? He might have just put the real Alphonse Elric's memories into you! For all we know, you may be a fake!" 66 cried back. Al froze.

"No! No! No you're wrong! He would never...Brother?..." Al said to himself bitterly. _'My memories...they can't be fake, they just can't!...Then again, back in Risenbool...'_ Al thought and remembered his brother's words of wanting to tell him something, something his brother was afraid of how he would react.

"What..what was he trying to tell me?" Al asked to himself.

"If you're done muttering to yourself, then let's continue our fight!" 66 cried and charged. Al dodged easily, but was in no condition to fight now, especially when a question started to form. Somehow though, out of the shadows appeared the alchemist slayer. He got rid of 66 easily for now and led Al inside the laboratory.

As the three alchemists walked down the silent hall, blood from Ed's wounds began to pitter patter on to the ground. He began to sway. Hazel caught him.

"Ed this is as far as we go! You need to rest. You can't strain yourself!" Hazel cried.

"You sound just like Winry...Always worrying about me..." Ed muttered.

"Ed, Hazel's right. We'll go on from here. You just rest here." Li-san replied, a worried look on her face.

"No way...I'm coming with you." Ed said and stood up wearily.

"Fine. We'll carry you. Come on Hazel." Li-san and Ed was supported by the two. As they walked slowly down the hall, they could hear a tapping noise that came from the darkness. Hazel had Ed's arm around her shoulder, and Li-san stood in front and clapped her hands with her gloves. She waited to place them on the ground. She could see it: Something, a dog? No...it was, a chimera!

"What is that!" Hazel cried.

"A chimera!" Li-san answered and in the darkness they could hear a splatter, a howl, and then more footsteps.

"They're coming! What do we do what do we do!" Hazel shrieked.

"You stay calm!" Li-san answered and Hazel's eyes narrowed. As Li-san clapped her hands again, she rushed foward and created spikes that impaled all in her path. She signaled Hazel to bring Ed foward. When he regained some energy, he clapped his hands together and made his metal arm a sword. The three rushed into the chimeras and defeated every single one of them.

"Gee...I wonder how chimeras came here..." Li-san said quietly. Suddenly, something big came to them. It had dark brown fur, and it's head...it was completely turned upside down. The face was of a man's, he had glasses on. His ears were pointy going outward, his voice was a mere whisper.

"Well well...Fullmetal we meet again..." the thing said. Ed's eyes showed fear, and Hazel and Li-san got in front.

"Who are you! If you stand in our path face my wrath!" Li-san cried.

"You're wrath? More like my wrath." Hazel corrected.

"What wrath are you talking about?" Li-san countered. The two were pushed aside forcefully by Ed.

"Tucker! What are...how did you...why are you here!" Ed demanded.

"Ed, who is this?" Li-san asked. Ed didn't answer.

"I came here after everyone thought I was dead...I was brought here and turned into a chimera myself...but you see, there is something that I must do...I must revive my dear sweet Nina so we can be together once more..." Tucker explained. Ed shuddered.

"What you did to Nina was your fault alone! What makes you think you can just bring her back?" Ed asked.

"I can...and I will...For you see, I have made clones of my dear Nina..but they are just mere shells needing a soul...with the power of the Philosopher's Stone I can have it and create the perfect Nina...and so we will live together." Tucker said.

"You're in on this too huh?...Where? Where are you clones?.." Ed asked and Tucker motioned for all three of them to follow. As they walked down the halls, not far away were Al and Scar, coming to find the three.

"Scar...when you find my brother, and my friends are you going to...kill them?" Al asked.

"I don't know Alphonse. I might...but for now, we will hunt for the homunculi and only that." Scar replied and then silenced the armor, hearing footsteps. He got his arm ready to kill his victims. Coming at them were Lust and Gluttony!

"Scar! The homunculi!" Al cried as he got into position.

"You go find your brother, I'll hold them off!" Scar ordered and Al ran to find his brother, and his friends. Scar fended off the homunculi, but finally met his end as he plummeted to the ground of a lower floor. Luckily, the homunculi did not follow.

"Lust! It's...it's the BAD PLACE!" Gluttony cried.

"Don't worry Gluttony. Come, let's go back. We must see how far the alchemists have come." Lust said and the two rushed off. The bad place? What did that mean? As Al walked quietly (well, as best as he could without making too much clinking noises) through the dark halls, he heard footsteps and stopped. HE turned, and saw white glowing eyes rush at him! He screamed, and realized it was Gluttony! Suddenly, he began to become smaller and smaller! Gluttony was eating his armor!

"Well well, if it isn't Fullmetal's brother. Now that we have you hostage, there's no doubt he'll make the stone. Whether the other alchemists like it or not." Lust said with a grin as Al was taken away to the room where the stone would be made... Meanwhile, Ed, Hazel, and Li-san had just arrived at Tucker's lab. It was there that they saw it, replicas of Nina...Exactly who was Nina?

"Ed...who was Nina? And why is this phsyco trying to bring her back?" Hazel asked.

"Nina..she was, his daughter. But he transmuted her and her dog Alexander into a chimera! Bastard!" Ed explained and Hazel and Li-san gasped in horror.

"Such words young alchemist...please, come with me. Do you see this? This is what can be used to make the Philosopher's Stone!" Tucker said as they came into a room that was red. Tubes of red liquid were sealed, and on the floor was a black and dark circle. It was the one to make the stone...

"Ed, we have to go. I don't like this place. Why help him if he's done such terrible things?" Hazel asked. Ed looked around, the room was huge. He looked further, and saw a room where people were standing there, like prey cornered.

"Look. There are the sacrifices." Ed pointed and walked over with Li-san and Hazel following.

"Ed you can't be serious! This is way too dangerous!" Hazel cried as she took hold of his arm. He harshly knocked her back.

"If you won't help me I'll do it myself." Ed answered as he continued to press forward. The people were released from the prison, but were cornered to the circle. Afraid to move, they stood right in it.

"Ed stop this! You don't really think this will make Al happy, do you! Even if you make the stone, do you think Al would want this!" Li-san protested. Suddenly, they heard Al scream.

"Brother! Everyone! Help me!" Al cried and they turned to see the homunculi. They were laughing at them, and they saw Al. His suit was a wreck! His legs and arms were gone, they had been eaten by that fat homunculous Gluttony.

"Al! Al don't worry I'll save you!" Ed cried but was held back by Hazel and Li-san.

"Let go! Let me go! Al's in trouble! We need to save him!" Ed shouted.

"Ed! Think about this! If we go charging to them, Al might get hurt!" Hazel struggled. Ed stopped fighting, and went over to the people.

"Brother! Brother no! Don't do this! I beg of you!" Al cried as he saw his brother begin to make the stone. The people screamed, and felt their lives slowly draining away.

"BROTHER! NO!" Al cried. The two girls were blown away by the force the alchemy was doing, and hit the wall with a thud. Li-san was knocked out while Hazel stood up, and started to slowly walk over to Ed as the power of the alchemy he had accessed began to backfire. The power of the alchemy, it made his strength even better! But the alchemic power he had used was rapidly increasing! He could no longer control it! The people screamed in pain and started to deform, they were turning into something...something that wasn't human. Was this the fate of those who were used for the stone?

"ED!" Hazel screamed as she was finally close to Ed. Ed seemed to not have heard her, he was in a transe. "ED! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Hazel cried and gave Ed a hug from behind. His eyes changed back, and then turned dull as he closed them slowly. The power of the alchemy slowly stopped, and the people inside the circle moaned in pain. Ed's weight made Hazel fall on the floor, Ed safely in her arms. She sighed with relief, and then stared at the homunculi. They began to walk over to her.

"Well? With him knocked out what do you think we should do with these losers?" Envy asked with a smile.

"I say we get rid of the ones that need to be dealt with. Like Soulfire and Bullseye for example." Lust suggested with a grin, her fingers were extending to their sharp needle points. Hazel held Ed tight, she could him breathe heavily and weakly. Li-san was able to wake up and stumbled a little. She saw the situation Hazel was in and clapped her hands. She charged and slapped them on the ground. In front of Hazel a wall shot up from the ground.

"IE! WARNING NEXT TIME!" Hazel screamed when her eyes bulged and her teeth turned into fangs.

"HOW ABOUT A THANK YOU NEXT TIME!" Li-san answered as she rushed to her side. They helped Ed up, and rushed to Al who was unguarded. When they were grouped together, the homunculi surrounded them. Coming up next to them was Tucker and his Nina doll.

"Damn...this isn't good. What do we do Hazel?" Li-san asked.

"WHY'RE YOU TURNING TO ME WHEN WE'RE IN A BAD SITUATION!" Hazel cried.

"Because you're the older one here!" Li-san cried back.

"That doesn't mean you should always turn to me for advice!" Hazel hissed. Meanwhile, the homunculi were surrounding them and closing in.

"Um..girls? Could we fight later please?" Al squeaked.

"NO!" they cried.

"Wait! I mean..yes!" Hazel cried and turned to the homunculi. As they were close enough to attack, suddenly from the side the wall was blown to pieces!

"Everyone! Do not fear! We are here to save you! Alex Louis Armstrong is at your service!" the man cried as he burst through. Maria, Denny, and Armstrong were there to back them up.

"Damn. It's time we take our leave. Let's go." Lust said angrily.

"Aw darn it all. I was just having fun too." Envy said with a frown.

"Lust...I'm hungry..." Gluttony muttered and the three rushed off. As the children were escorted to the hospital, Ed was taken care of immediately. So much had happened in that laboratory...the question was, what would happen next? With Ed out for a week, questions began to storm within Al, if he was really Alphonse Elric...or just a replacement and nothing more. With Ed out for a week, everyone didn't know what to do. What would be the next step? For now, all they could do was wait for Ed to get better.

A/N: okay, u all know the next two part with how Al has doubts about himself. it's a lil different, and has some funny parts in the second part of al's question (the funny parts will be in chapter 7). anyways, chapter 6 will be coming soon! it all depends on when i'll be able to update! so plz leave a review (i'm saying plz and being nice lol jk jk) and be patient if i don' update that much! after all, summer's gone and school's **just** started! -Em


	6. Who AM I?

A/N: as u can probably tell from the title of this chapter, it's like the episode where al is questioning if he's really alphonse elric. i will say the chapter finishes with where the episode finishes ( i won't tell u if u haven't seen that episode) so i'm sad that it isn't that long as my other chapters have been. but i hope u like it, and to all ur reviewers and readers out there who like my story so far, thank u! Happy Reading!

**Chapter 6: Who AM I?**

It had already been three days since the encounter with the homunculi, and Lab 5. Edward had still been asleep, and already it had been late noon. Hazel decided to give a call to Winry who was just about to get on the train back to Risenbool, explaining that she would be needed again. Despite Winry's angered tone on the phone, she was glad she was needed if it had to do with Ed and his automail. What she didn't realize though, was that Ed was in the hospital recovering. When she got there she had a lot to say. Hazel and Li-san had spent most of their time in Ed's room, either being bored, reading, or just doing some pretty basic alchemy. Winry had been dragged to Hughes's daughter's third birthday party. It was on that day where Ed would be released from the hospital. Before he woke up though, Hazel, Al, and Li-san had an interesting conversation.

"Al?...You've been awfully quiet. Is something wrong?" Li-san asked. Al didn't answer.

"Al?" Li-san asked again. Still no answer.

"Please tell me did something happen when you fought against 66?" Li-san asked.

"Shut up...just leave me alone." Al said harshly. Li-san couldn't help but feel a little sad at his answer.

"Hey be nice Al. Li-san's just concerned." Hazel defended.

"I don't care. Just don't talk to me...please." he answered and the two were silent.

"Al...what did Number 66 say to you to make you be in pain? Please, tell me. Al I want to know because I..I care about you..." Li-san said as she walked over to him.

"How do you know I'm the real Alphonse Elric?" was all he said. Li-san's eyes went wide, and she backed away slightly.

"What are you talking about Al? Of course you're Alphonse Elric!" Hazel cried.

"Are you so sure about that? What if my so called brother just made me have Al's memories? What if the Alphonse you see before you is just a fake!" Al cried.

"You're not a fake!" Li-san exclaimed. "You're the real Alphonse Elric! I know you are Al! Because I--... I can see it...Your pain...on the outside I see yourself as the one bound to the armor..but on the inside, I can see a boy who's confused right now and in pain. I want to help you Al, but if you keep thinking you're not Alphonse Elric then-"

"Then what!" Al snapped. It was at that time that Ed woke up.

"Mmm...Hazel? Li-san?..Al? Al!" he cried as he looked around the room. He was relieved to see Al, but he frowned when he realized Al had been mainly eaten by that homunculous Gluttony.

"Hi Ed...you've been out like a log for days!" Hazel said with a laugh. Ed couldn't help but smile, but was still concerned about Al. He looked at Li-san who only smiled slightly. As Winry burst through the door after Elicia's birthday party, she was happy to see Ed awake.

"Ed you're awake! You scared me to death do you realize that!" Winry cried.

"Sorry Winry, but I'm okay now...'Cept for the fact that I think something's wrong with my arm.." Ed said with a wink as he pointed to his automail.

"Ah..." was Winry's answer, and she had a sweatdrop behind her head. _'Yeah...about that...'_

"Winry? What's wrong? If you're mad about the automail I could pay you back." Ed said.

"Oh no no not at all Ed don't be silly!" Winry said with a nervous chuckle. She then looked at Al, he was silent. She wondered what was wrong, and asked. No one answered.

"Why don't you tell me what's the matter you two? You don't normally get into fights." Winry asked, but still no one answered. She felt offended, and rushed off crying how they always kept secrets from her...even when she was always there to help them. The room was silent.

"Don't worry about Winry you two..." Ed said to them with a reassuring but weak smile.

"She is right though..." Al said quietly. Ed's smile turned to a frown with a sigh, and he stared at his bed. Hazel and Li-san decided to go after Winry. As Li-san and Hazel ran up to the roof of the building, they saw Winry looking out to the west.

"Winry-san!" Li-san called and Winry turned with a smile as they walked over to her.

"You know...Ed and Al, they've always hidden stuff from me, even when we were little kids... Sometimes, I wonder if they'll ever open up to me." Winry said. A slight breeze blew.

"I..I'm sure they will Winry." Hazel said simply with a smile.

"Besides, even though we haven't known Ed and Al as long as you have, we can say that if they don't want to tell you something it's 'cause they don't want you to get hurt. Winry-san, they care really deeply for you and whatever they're hiding from you...they're probably thinking that not telling you will protect you. And...I guess, that's just the way they are. You should be lucky that you have friends like Ed and Al." Li-san said with a smile. Winry couldn't help but giggle.

"I am lucky...but still, it hurts that they don't tell me things that hurt them." Winry said.

"Winry-san, you just have to trust them. I mean, if they're your closest friends, what they don't tell you, I'm sure you should wait until the time is right. I mean, I bet you're like a sister to them! When the right time comes I'm sure they'll open up." Li-san added.

"Thanks you guys." Winry said and gave both of them a friendly hug. As the three walked back to the room, they heard angry voices.

"Al! What's up with you? Why are you so mad at me?" Ed asked.

"Why should I answer you, my 'Brother'?" Al challenged angrily.

"Al, what's wrong? You can tell me if something's the matter!" Ed cried.

"I wish I could...That's it. I'm going to the roof." Al decided and a military officer helped him up. When Al was gone, Ed looked down at the bed and made no eye contact. Winry, Hazel, and Li-san sat down beside him.

"Ed? What happened between you two?" Winry asked.

"Seems like you two got into a fight." Li-san said and was hit with a wrench by Hazel.

"Owchee! Haaaazel!" Li-san whined. _'Where'd she get the wrench!'_

"You're not making the situation any better!" Hazel cried and took Li-san by the ear. She dragged her friend to the door.

"WINRY! STOP HAZEL SHE'S HURTING ME!" Li-san whined. Ed and Winry looked at the two and blinked several times blankly.

"We'll be on the roof with Al. In the meantime you two chat for a while and, meet us up there when you're ready." Hazel said and kicked Li-san out the door. She then smiled at Winry and Ed as she slammed the door shut. Ed and Winry were quiet for a few moments, but soon they began to talk, and Winry would be able to know what was bothering Ed so much. She would be able to help as well...

Hazel and Li-san were almost to the top. The stairs apparently seemed to go on forever.

"Remind me...to take the elevator next time.." Hazel breathed.

"Hazel, there isn't an elevator here. If there were, we wouldn't be in this situation!" Li-san cried.

"Whatever!" Hazel roared and slammed the door open. On the other side the door slammed right into Al! His head piece went flying. As Hazel burst through with Li-san following, Li-san squeaked when she saw that Al had no head!

"HAZEL WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" Li-san cried and panicked as she ran around in circles, waving her hands in the air. Her eyes were widened and just white as she frantically looked around the building.

"What do you mean "what have I---AL! YOUR HEAD! WHERE IS IT! WHERE'D IT GO!" Hazel cried and the two panicked and ran around the building. Soon the two girls hugged, scared to death of where Al's head went. Al couldn't help but give a sigh, and yelled.

"Girls! Would you kindly retrieve my head that fell off when the door happened to slam into me?" Al cried. Hazel and Li-san looked at eachother, and then stopped their hug. Li-san rushed over to Al's head piece and put it back on.

"Sorry Al! I can honestly say," Li-san started and pointed to Hazel. "It was her fault!" Hazel's eyes went wide and turned to anger mode.

"My fault!" Hazel cried.

"Yes _your_ fault! You're the one that slammed the door into his face!" Li-san cried. The two got into a fight. Al couldn't help it but he sighed with a sweatdrop. As the two continued their cat fight, Ed and Winry came up. Winry had parts from Risenbool in her hands.

"Li-san? Hazel?" Ed asked.

"WHAT!" they screamed, flames could be seen.

"Um..nothing!" Ed answered and backed away slowly. As the parts were in their place, Li-san and Hazel came over as Ed clapped his hands together. In seconds, Al was back together.

"Hooray!" Li-san cheered and threw confetti around Al (his head was in it's cute form and he blushed!). Hazel, Winry, and Ed were in the backround, sweatdrops behind their heads.

"Don't you think you're over reacting?" Ed asked. Li-san's eyes sparkled as she turned to Ed.

"Of course not! Al is back together! Yay yay yay!" Li-san cried happily.

"Ed, she isn't over reacting. Well, okay she is a little but still that only means she showing her **_loooooove_** for Al." Hazel said. She said the word Love a little louder. At this, Li-san stopped in mid-hop, and gave Hazel a deadly stare. Her face was red. Winry and Ed took a step back, and Hazel couldn't help but snicker.

"It's true. She's only acting like this cause she _loooooooooooooves_ Al." Hazel said with a smile.

"Hazel..." Li-san hissed, her voice sounded deep.

"What? I'm only saying." Hazel said. Li-san looked up, her eyes gave off a deadly gleam. All at once, she burst. Hazel's smile turned to a little worried grin, and she started to get a head start at a nice paced run. "Where do you think you're going!" Li-san hissed again, her voice sounding even deeper then before! Hazel didn't answer and continued at a faster run, sweatdrops behind her head. Li-san followed in a fiery rage (literally. know how some people in anime have flames around them? picture that lol).

"GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE! HAAAAAAAAAZEL!" Li-san cried and the two ran around the building. As Winry, Ed, and Al watched, Al finally spoke up. In the backround you could hear Li-san and Hazel shouting at eachother.

"Those two sure are...weird. So, how do you feel Al? Good as new huh?" Ed asked with a smile. Al didn't answer.

"Al? What's wrong are you feeling okay?" Winry asked with a grin.

"How do I know...Brother, how do I know that I'm your brother?" Al asked. When the two girls heard this, they stopped and Li-san landed on Hazel.

"Wh-what? Al what are you talking about?" Ed asked with a worried look on his face.

"How am I supposed to know if I'm really your brother! Back at the lab...what 66 told me... Did you put fake memories into my mind! Am I just a replacement for your brother! What am I!" Al cried. Ed gasped in horror at what he was hearing.

"Al...this is nonsense...it's crazy!" Ed cried.

"What you wanted to tell me...in Risenbool, what did you want to tell me!" Al demanded. Ed became stern, and Li-san and Hazel walked over quietly to Winry's side.

"Al...you really think that I..I'd-" Ed started, but then closed his eyes with a frown.

"Answer my question, my so called Brother!" Al cried. Clearly Ed saw that Al was serious. Ed didn't answer though quickly, and Al gasped in horror.

"Why won't you answer me? Brother...why won't you answer!" Al yelled.

"Al! What Ed wanted to tell you in Risenbool was-"

"NO! For all I know, you may be in on it too!" Al cried and began to run away from the group. Ed grabbed hold of his arm.

"Al! Al stop this!" Ed cried and was punched in the face. Winry and Hazel ran over to Ed, and Al looked at his brother with sad eyes. Li-san watched as Al jumped off of the roof. The instant he was out of sight she raced foward and jumped as well, with the group following. Al landed with a thud, and ran. Li-san followed.

"AL! AL!" Ed called as he was about follow.

"No Ed! You're not at full strength yet!" Winry said and held him back.

"Don't worry Ed, Li-san knows what to do I'm sure of it." Hazel said with determined eyes. Ed nodded, but tears fell from his face. The three went down to his room, and after Ed was ready to leave, they went in search for Li-san and Al.

A/N: okay, u can probably tell what the next chapter will be like. the two part al thingy haha. it _is _gonna be different though...for those of u who know me (and for those who don't) everyone has a favorite character from a show. mine happens to be Al lol so the next chapter will be mainly around Al (duh) and how i can help him out lol and blush and stuff cause he's just too hard not to luv! lol. anyways, plz R&R and keep on reading this Fullmetal Adventure! (it does end with what the ? ed really wanted to ask Al by the way just tellin ya -D _and_ i'll include rick and his bro i forget his name..can anyone tell me before i post the next chappie? and scar!) -Em


	7. You ARE Alphonse Elric

A/N: okay here's the second part of al and his questionin! after this it will be!--well, u'll just have to find out as u read D plz leave a review, and Happy Reading! o yea, i hope all of u realize that Hazel and Li-san are the 'life of the party' with their laughs they contribute to the anime. ya know, the funny parts they do as partners ;) at the end of this chapter, u'll loooove the funny stuff they contribute. hint hint if u leave a review, will u tell me how u liked the little laugh they contribute? thanks, and again, Happy Reading!

**Chapter 7: You ARE Alphonse Elric**

Li-san huffed and puffed as she ran around the town, but still she had no luck in finding Al. She had to take a break, and got some food as a little snack. It started to rain by the time she went back to searching.

"Al! AL! AAAAAAL!" Li-san called, and then noticed something among a few trashcans. She walked over curiously, and saw that Al had his back turned, hiding behind the cans: probably hoping to blend in.

"Al? What are you doing back here? You do know that because it's raining you might rust." Li-san said.

"You found me? Already?" Al said, whining just slightly. Li-san sat down next to Al. He started to get up, but she gently placed a hand on his arm.

"Please, don't leave. We need to talk about what's bothering you." Li-san pleaded with a smile, and Al reluctantly sat back down. Al only sighed.

"So tell me...what's wrong?" Li-san asked.

"Didn't you hear what I said back there at the hospital?" Al snapped. He gasped at how rude he was being, and apologized. Li-san frowned.

"You think you're not the real Alphonse Elric...you're just a fake. Someone who holds Al's memories, someone who is just posing as Edward's brother." Li-san said.

"Y-yeah..." Al said quietly.

"Al, who told you that you might be a fake?" Li-san asked.

"Number 66..." Al said.

"Also known as Barry the Chopper. A bad guy. You would really believe him? He's a bad guy after all." Li-san said.

"Ah!...Yeah...Still, Ed couldn't answer me back there so what am I supposed to believe?" Al asked.

"Well you really didn't give him a chance. I think at that point you were a little afraid of what his answer would be which is totally understandable. Still, if you would have given Ed a chance I'm sure we would have solved everything back at the hospital. I think, I think your brother was just shocked at why you were acting so strangely. I think he felt a little sad of your reason to why you were acting that way, thinking you weren't Ed's brother. I mean, you and Ed have spent your whole life together! I'm sure that if Ed were hiding something from you, he'd tell you from the very beginning." Li-san said.

"Hm...you're right...Brother is a smart kid." Al said. Li-san smiled and blushed.

"B-besides..." she started. Already she felt some courage bubbling up, and at the same time nervousness came over her.

"Y-yes?" Al asked.

"If you weren't the real Al...I would know 'c-cause..." Li-san said and began to blush even brighter.

"Y-yes!" Al asked, a little alarmed. Li-san gulped, and looked at Al with a smile.

"If you weren't the real Al, I would know because I...I really like you Al. Like I said before, I can see the real you inside that armor, even though on the outside all people would see is just 'someone' in a suit of armor." Li-san said and then turned back to the ground quickly, her face growing red. _'YUS! SCORE FOR LI! OH YEAH!'_ She could tell that Al was surprised at her answer, and flattered really.

"Li-san..." he said to her. She managed to look towards his direction slightly.

"Y-yes?" she squeaked.

'Thank you." he answered simply and the two smiled for a while. Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming closer in their direction.

"Quick! Hide inside!" Al said as he let Li-san climb in. _'This is soooo cool!'_ Li-san thought dreamily. Soon enough, two boys hid behind Al.

"Where'd you go you little thieves!" a man cried as he ran past the two thieves. The older boy seemed to be stiffling a laugh.

"Haha. We lost him. Here ya go." the older boy said, his dark brown hair was spiky and he wore sunglasses. He had a white T-shirt on and it seemed his jacket was wrapped around his waist. He handed the bag to the younger boy. Inside it had at least a dozen apples.

"Are you sure this is right?" the other boy asked, he was wearing a bandana over his head and had light brown hair. He was also wearing sunglasses.

"Of course I'm sure! We have to eat, otherwise we won't survive!" the other boy seemed to scold.

"I don't think it's right at all. I think you should return what you stole." Li-san said inside of Al.

"Wh-who said that!" the older boy asked alarmed.

"My friend is right. You should return what you stole. We'll even buy it for you if you like." Al added as he stood up. Li-san lifted his head piece a little.

"Hello there I'm Li-san. And you are?" Li-san asked politely. The two boys looked in amazement at who stood before them as Al got up right after Li-san jumped out of the suit.

Ed, Winry, and Hazel ran down the streets, Winry held an umbrella over their heads. Ed kept asking people if they had seen Al, he even drew a picture of his beloved brother. The only thing was...his drawing skills weren't that great. His picture didn't really look like Al at all...

"Have you seen my friend? Have you seen him? Have you?" Ed asked everyone. Everyone only pushed him away or just said no. One man asked if it was a joke looking for someone that looked like Ed's picture. By this time, Ed was in a corner in deep depression, dark colors were around him.

"Ed...give it a rest! Your picture's not really helping..." Winry said quietly.

"YOU SAYIN' I HAVE NO ARTISTIC SKILLS!" Ed cried, growing bigger (!) as Winry grew smaller.

"Ed calm down. Let's just...ask people if they've seen Al by description. Besides...your picture looks like a small little rocket ship with a strange face and a loincloth on..." Hazel said.

"It's not a loincloth!" Ed cried, defending Al (wherever he was).

"Oh really? Then what is it then?" Hazel challenged and Ed's face had dark lines under his eyes, and he frowned. Hazel couldn't help but laugh and thought, _'Now when we need someone who's artistic like Li-san she has to be with Al! It's ashame that Sanjee isn't here...'_ (a/n: i included u again sanjee-chan! LOL! a little joke for those of u who aren't sanjee)

"Just breathe Ed! Relax. Come on, let's go ask that man over there." Winry said and pointed to a man who seemed to be looking for something, or someone.

The three walked over, and they heard the man muttering, "Stupid brats. Stealing my food. And those were my best apples yet!"

"Excuse me sir, but have you seen my friend? He's this tall," Winry started and showed the height of Al.

"And is in a blue suit of armor." Hazel finished.

"Sorry kids, haven't seen your friend. I've been busy looking for two kids about your age who just stole some of my finest apples! If you see them, they have dark skin and are wearin' sunglasses. I'll look for your friend in the meantime though." the man said and stormed off, searching for the thieves. Ed and Hazel seemed to be stern, their faces concerned.

"Hm? What's wrong you two?" Winry asked.

"What the man said. Dark skin, and wearing sunglasses..." Ed started.

"Yes? What about that Ed?" Winry asked.

"It's probably the work of two Ishbalan thieves." Hazel finished. Winry gasped slightly, and this made the three search even harder.

The two thieves looked from Al, to Li-san. The older boy stood in front of the younger one, stern eyes stared into Li-san's.

"Wh-why should we tell you! You guys might just be state alchemists, part of the military!" the older boy cried.

"Um...I'm a state alchemist. This guy isn't though, he's my friend." Li-san said and pointed.

"My name is Alphonse Elric." Al said with a wave.

"And you have nothing to worry about. I don't bite." Li-san added with a smile and took a step foward. The boys took one back.

"Please don't be afraid of us. We just want to help, and make peace. Li-san is a good state alchemist, promise." Al said with a smile. The older boy didn't believe them, but the younger boy just smiled.

"My name is Rick. Nice to meetcha Li-san, Alphonse." he said with a smile.

"Rick! What are you doing! Have you lost it or something!" the older boy scolded.

"Hi Rick. It's a pleasure to meet you too. Is this your friend?" Li-san asked, ignoring the older boy.

"Oh no this is my brother, Rio." Rick introduced. Li-san walked over to the boys, and Rio gritted his teeth, a fist ready to strike. Rick left Rio's side and walked over to Li-san. She extended her hand with a smile. The two shook, and then waited for Rio to react. His stern look was replaced with a surprised one, and then he calmed down and they shook as well.

"Haha. Great. Now that we all know eachother...You guys are Ishbalans, aren't you?" Li-san asked.

"Y-yeah how'd you know?" Rio asked.

"It's sorta obvious heheh." Li-san said with a laugh. Rio and Rick blushed slightly.

"So, tell us. Rick, Rio, where are you guys living if you only come up to surface for food?" Al asked. Rick laughed a little, and Rio told them they were living underground, hiding from the military. As the two boys led Al and Li to their 'home', someone was watching nearby. The person was wearing a military uniform...

"Wow. So this is where you guys live..." Li-san said and looked around.

"Yeah. For now at least." Rick answered and the two boys walked over to the Elder of the Ishbalan tribe.

"Hello there boys, friends of yours?" the Elder asked, and looked at Li-san with a dark stare. Li-san saw clearly that the Elder was a little wary of her since she was a 'dog of the military'.

"Uh...Now hold on there pops, I may be a state alchemist but I'm good! Really!" Li-san said and waved her hands in front of her. The Elder continued to stare, but then smiled.

"Greetings, both of you." he finally said and Li-san sighed with relief.

"Did you say, State Alchemist?" someone asked. The person's voice was deep and clear. Li-san had some dark lines below her eyes.

"Y-yes..." she squeaked and hid behind Al, shivering. The person came out of the shadows, a glare on his face as he stared down at Li-san.

"Scar!" Al cried. Scar didn't answer, but nodded to Al as a hello.

"All State Alchemists, must pay." the man said and rolled up his sleeve to reveal his tattooed arm.

"Eep!" Li-san squeaked and tried to hid herself behind Al.

"A-are you sure you really want to kill me? I'mma good state alchemist really!" Li-san pleaded. Scar etched a little further.

"All State Alchemists must perish." Scar answered. Luckily, Li-san managed up some courage and ran up to Scar and clutched his jacket. He looked at her surprising. She looked up at Scar, tears were strolling down her face and her eyes were wide and sparkly.

(a/n: sorry, little interruption: the next part i practically acted out so that it HAD to be humorous. so, if u can, picture all of this in anime followed by something funny having been said by me! emiieroxs! lol)

"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME MR. SCAR SIR I WANNA LIVE! I WANNA LIIIIIIIIVE!" Li-san pleaded.

"Uh..." was Scar's answer, his mouth began to twitch just a little.

"IF YOU KILL ME NOW I'LL NEVER HAVE KIDS! OR GRANDKIIIIIIDS!" Li-san continued to cry. Almost every Ishbalan looked their way. Scar began to sweat, and his eye twitched.

"Umm, Li?" Al asked, concerned, his face in his cute form. Li-san continued to cry very loudly, and finally it would all come to a **deadly** end.

"IF YOU DON'T KILL ME I PROMISE YOU I'LL--mmph!" Li-san cried and without warning Scar's hand grasped her face tightly. Scar seemed to growl under his breath, breathing heavily and loudly.

"LI!" Al cried in alarm, getting ready to come to the rescue! The Elder held him back though, and only smiled. Some Ishbalans gather round, seeing what was going on, and what was going to happen. Al watched, and saw Scar's grip become a little tighter, Li began to turn white and she started to shiver.

"LIIII!" Al roared as he watched what horrible fate would happen to Li-san!

Ed, Winry, and Hazel walked around everywhere, having no luck in finding Al or Li-san.

"Where the hell did they go? I mean...we've searched everywhere!" Ed cried as they took a break.

"I'm sure they'll turn up some time soon. The rain's beginning to lift..." Hazel said.

"We can't give up Ed, don't worry." Winry said and rubbed Ed's back affectionately. Ed couldn't help but blush. Suddenly, they heard Al scream!

"Did you hear that! It was Al! It came from down there!" Ed cried, his eyes lit up.

"Yeah but..he screamed out Li-san's name! What if they're in trouble!" Hazel cried, worried.

"Let's go! Winry, you stay here it might be dangerous!" Ed said and the two alchemists ran down the underground place (no clue what to call it right now). They charged down, and when they arrived at the bottom they saw many Ishbalans looking at them with worried eyes. They ignored that fact and saw a crowd of Ishbalans surrounded something! One of the things was a blue colored suit of armor!

"AL! LI-SAN!" Ed roared. When they arrived at the scene, Hazel and Ed had funny surprised looks on their faces. They saw Scar, his hand on Li-san's face.

"Brother!" Al cried and turned to face Edward.

"Don't hurt her Scar!" Ed warned but then his mouth dropped when he saw Scar's expression. Hazel's mouth dropped as well. Scar was sweating, his eye was twitching, Li-san was white, her eyes were wide (showing no pupils).

"JUST!...Stop talking...And I won't kill you." Scar said simply and released his grasp. Li-san regained color, and sighed heavily as she dropped silently to the ground, a white ghostly form came out of her sigh as it cried tears of joy. Ed was relieved, and so was Hazel and they ran up to Al and Li-san.

"LIIIIIII-SAAAAAN!" Hazel cried. (This part seemed to be in slo mo, bright colors were the backround).

"HAAAAAZEL!" Li-san wept tears of joy as the two partners raced to eachother. When they were each close enough to hug, the moment was lost as a sound could be heard followed by a wail. BONK! The scene showed Hazel, her fist had Li-san's name on it as a vein popped above her left eye. Li-san was left with a bump on her head, followed by dropping to the floor.

"HAAAAZEL!" Li-san wept as she held her head painfully.

"YOU DESERVE IT! YOU GOT ME WORRIED! AGAIN!" Hazel scolded.

"It's not my fault!" Li-san shouted back and was surprised when Hazel gave her a hug.

"Don't EVER do this AGAIN! If you do you won't just be getting a bump like that on your head!" Hazel said with a sniffle.

"Oh Hazel..." Li-san said happily. "Besides, what could _you_ do that would be worse then a minor bump on my head?" Li-san added challengingly.

"Remember in the winter? When we were kids and how I--"

"Okay okay! I won't do it again!" Li-san cried, hands waving in the air desperately for her partner to stop talking. Ed and Al laughed, and then looked at eachother.

"Al...I...what I wanted to tell you back in Risenbool," Ed started but suddenly they heard shouting! The alchemists (plus Scar, Rio, and Rick) rushed to the scene to see a gang of military soldiers round up some Ishbalans!

"Nobody's gonna get hurt! Just come quietly with us!" the military leader said with a laugh. He then noticed Li-san, Hazel, Al, and Ed.

"Hey you! Squirt!" the leader said and pointed to Ed. Ed went into rage shouting, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SQUIRT!"

"Stay put and we won't hurt you!" the leader finished.

"Sorry bub, but you're messing with the wrong State Alchemist!" Ed roared, clapped his hands, and trapped all of military soldiers. The Ishbalans were let go, and the military thugs were taken care by Scar's hand. When it was time to go, Al and Li-san bid farewell to Rio and Rick. They looked at Scar who looked back at them.

"Sorry I made you a little frustrated back there Mr. Scar. I tend to go overboard when I'm faced with choices that include being killed." Li-san apologized.

"Hmph...You're a strange state alchemist I have to admit, but you're all right." he said stiffly and walked away. Li-san smiled as she waved and walked out with Al, Ed, and Hazel. They met up with Winry who was relieved to see they were all right. As they walked back to the hospital, Ed stopped and faced Al.

"Al...My question back in Risenbool was...If you hated me." Ed confessed and looked at the ground. Al was amazed. "Soo...do you hate me, Al? For putting your soul in that armor? Do you?..." Ed asked, not making eye contact. Al looked at Ed, and Ed continued to stare at the ground.

"Brother..." Al started and looked at Ed.

"Y-yes?" Ed asked.

"Forgive me...I've been a fool. I could never hate someone like you. You're my brother after all, you've given up your leg for me! How could I ever hate you?" Al said with a smile. Ed smiled as well, a teary one at that. The two brothers smiled, and so did the girls. They were glad to see Ed and Al happy again. As they walked back to the hospital, the brothers had decided that they would go see their old alchemy teacher. Along the way they'd be stopping at Rush Valley, so it was hard not to convince Winry not to come.

"Yeah! You guys said you lived near Rush Valley right? Why don't we stop by your home town too? I'd sure like to see it if that's all right." Ed said with a smile.

"Ah..about that-mmph!" Hazel started.

"Of course! We'd be happy to show you! We live in Iron Town! It's just over the bridge of Rush Valley! Hahahaahha!..." Li-san covered with a nervous smile. It'd be there if they made it up, the people, their 'houses', everything so they wouldn't have anything to worry about. Hazel gave a look at Li-san.

_'Iron Town? Where have I heard THAT from?' _Hazel wondered.

_'Hey! You got a better idea!'_ Li-san snapped back. Hazel only sighed with a frown on her face.

_'Oh well...what's said is said. But really, Iron Town? You had to use the town from Princess Mononoke.'_ Hazel said. The two looked from the sky, and then quickly to one another, their eyes wide.

_'You don't think it'll be like THAT Iron Town from the movie, do you!'_ Li-san cried, dark lines under her right eye.

_'I HOPE NOT! You're the one that said it!'_ Hazel answered back.

_'Oh geez...can you imagine that! Iron Town from Princess Mononoke!'_ Li-san exclaimed, but then smiled slightly; eyes narrowed. _'Haha. A Princess Mononoke Fullmetal crossover. Hahaha--OW!'_ Li-san whimpered as Hazel hit her over the head. Ed, Al, and Winry turned, wondering why Hazel all of a sudden gave Li-san a whack to the back of the head.

_'NO TIME FOR JOKES! IF YOU MAKE EBOSHI AND THEM FROM IRON TOWN BE IN FULLMETAL, IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!'_ Hazel roared, eyes flaming.

_'It's not it's not! At least...I hope it's not...'_ Li-san answered and before Hazel could give Li-san another bruise, Ed called out to them.

"Hey! What are you two doing?" he asked and the two girls turned to him, sweatdrops behind their heads.

"NOTHING!" they shouted back and rushed up to them. Hopefully, the Iron Town of Fullmetal Alchemist wasn't like the one from the movie Princess Mononoke.

A/N: lol, a little twist i put into our 'hometown'. -glint appears in emiierox's eyes- anyways, chapter 8 will be on it's way! to rush valley! plz leave a review, and if u want, u can guess if iron town will really be from the movie Princess Mononoke! i won't say it is, and i won't say it isn't -lips are sealed- ;) anyways, i'll try and update soon! -Em o yea, just saying, when Li-san and Hazel are talkin in _italics_, for those of u haven't figured it out...Waaaaaaaaay back in chapter 1 we both said we could read our own thoughts, so yea that's why we were talking in _italics_. sorry if that sounded like i was thinking u were stupid which i dont, i just like making sure an' all. don't take that offensively pleeeeeeease! -pleads- anyways, again i'll try and update soon (with school and all it's kinda hard -frustrated look-)

-Em


	8. Enter! Rush Valley!

A/N: HEY EVERYONE! THE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST MOVIE HAS BEEN RELEASED IN CIRCUIT CITY AND WALDENBOOKS! -squee!- Okay okay I will say that this is another kinda not really descriptive chapter. I'm tryin to get to the part where Li-san and Hazel get to their hometown and all and where the t.v series goes in a different direction with them as the main focus. besides that, plz enjoy the chapter it does have some funny stuff :) Happy Reading!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of it's characters. Only Li-san and Hazel :)

**Chapter 8: Enter! Rush Valley!**

As Ed, Al, Winry, Hazel, and Li-san boarded the train, they waved goodbye to Ross, Blotch, Armstrong, and Hughes. Luckily, the brothers didn't have to tell Mustang where they were going, he had left right after the Homunculi attacked. He wasn't even informed about the sneak in to Lab 5. As Ed and Li-san finally removed their heads from outside the window, they sat down and took a piece of pie from the basket.

"It was nice if Mr. Hughes to bring this for us. We need to thank him and Mrs. Hughes for making this." Winry said with a smile.

"Yeah. It's delicious!" Ed said with a mouthful.

"Brother! Chew, swallow, _then_ talk. It's bad manners to talk with food in your mouth!" Al scolded.

"What are you Al? Geez, sometimes you act like your mom." Ed said with a snort.

"She's your mom too!" Al shot back (okay i'm not sure if that's correct, but it was from a funny icon swn showed me).

"Oh...right haha sorry sometimes I forget we're related." Ed joked and Al sobbed.

"Brother..." Al sulked.

"C-calm down Al I was just kidding!" Ed said as he waved his hands in front of him.

"So Ed, Al, what was your alchemy teacher like?" Hazel asked.

"She was very nice...but really strict. Oh man...when she hears about me becomin' a dog of the military..." Ed started and shivered. Li-san laughed.

"Oh I'm sure it's not that bad! Besides, we'll be in Rush Valley and then Iron Town. That'll be two stops before we reach your teacher's place. Dublith, right?" Li-san asked.

"Yeah, that's right. But really, she can be soooo scary!" Ed cried.

"She sounds strict. We had a strict alchemy teacher once." Hazel said as she munched on her pie.

"Really? What was your teacher like?" Al asked.

"Not nice. Too strict. He always criticized us, even when we did a great job! He said: Good. But not perfect!" Li-san mimicked and then stuck her tongue out.

"What happened?" Al asked.

"Oh? After that we fired him." Hazel said.

"How old were you when you fired him!" Ed cried.

"Actually, Hazel practically chased him away with the alchemy she did. It was funny!" Li-san said with a chibi laugh.

"It was when we were 7 and 8. It was after we fired him that we did alchemy on our own, and then we performed..**it**." Hazel answered. The group fell deadly silent.

"C'mon you guys! Lighten up! Rush Valley is gonna be great!" Winry squealed in delight.

"Yeah...you're going to make us go broke." Ed sighed with a huff.

"Ed!" Winry whined. Li-san and Hazel laughed. Still, something made them uneasy. It was the fact that they would be going to their 'hometown'. Who knew what would come? Then again, it had been rare when they went back to their old selves, the ones from the other side. Probably they would be fine, watching themselves talk freely about their hometown, whatever came happened and so on. Really there was nothing to worry about...it was just the fact that they had no control over themselves when they became their characters from Fullmetal. Suddenly, Winry took off Hazel, Li-san, and Ed's jacket and stole them.

"Winry! What are you doing!" Ed cried.

"Showing off your automail Ed! I wanna show everyone in Rush Valley how good a mechanic I am!" Winry cried.

"Why us!" Hazel and Li-san wailed.

"Because your automail is great too!" Winry said. There was no point in fighting with Winry, so they all sighed heavily. Al laughed because he was the only one who didn't have automail. When the group arrived in Rush Valley, already Ed and Al were put up to buying Winry the latest Automail.

"Come on Winry, you have all you need back at Risenbool. Let's just go by Rush Valley and get to Iron Town. I wanna see it!" Ed said.

"Ed! Come on please? Can't we stay here a little longer!" Winry pouted.

"It's okay Ed. Our home town can wait." Hazel said with a smile.

"Oh yeah I know, but still I wanna get there faster." Ed said.

"Hm...Ed, didn't you say you were afraid of what your teacher might do to you if you told her you were in the military?" Li-san asked. Ed went white.

"Which is good reason to stay here longer! Come on!" Winry said and grabbed Ed by the hand. As the group walked around, they saw what seemed to be an automail arm wrestling contest.

"Step right up and have your automail put to the test against the champion!" the announcer cried. A girl with dark skin and black hair in a short ponytail stepped right up, ready to beat the champion.

"That girl's automail? Made from that stupid shop that seems to not even exist! If I were her I'd get a better mechanic!" a snotty rich boy said. The girl snarled at the boy, and faced against the champ.

"I want a good clean fight!" the announcer said and cried, "GO!", placing his hand under the table. Under it was a transmutation circle... The girl put up a great fight, and was on the verge of winning! The circle was activated though, and she lost in an unfair match.

"Oooh! So close!" the announcer said. The girl, near tears, ran off away from the crowd. The announcer asked who would be next, and noticed that Hazel and Li-san had automail. He didn't acknowledge the 'shrimp' next to them.

"What about you miss? Or your friend next to you?" the announcer asked.

"Wh-who me?" Hazel asked and pointed to herself.

"I'll do it I'll do it me me me!" Li-san cried waving her hand up in the air.

"Li! We're not in Pre-school!" Hazel hissed and Li-san put her hand down quickly, her face was bright red.

"Well! Li! Step up and try your luck! That automail of yours looks worthy of taking a beating!" the announcer cried.

"What did you say?" Li-san asked, eye twitched.

"I said your automail looks worthy of beating!" the announcer repeated. Li-san extended her right arm, her cannon exposed.

"Care to say that again?" Li-san asked, eyebrows raised.

"I mean! Worthy of...having a good challenge!" the announcer covered and she let that go.

"Okay." Li-san said happily and sat down. She had to use her left arm though since that was all automail and not part. The match began. Li-san struggled, and just when the circle was activated she took quick action and tripped the announcer so that he toppled over onto the table. Stunned, Li-san beat the man at his own game, and won the prize money.

"HA! MY AUTOMAIL IS THE BEST! IT'S MADE BY MY FRIEND WINRY ROCKBELL!" Li-san announced and all of a sudden mechanics crowded around them. Luckily, Ed, Al, Hazel, and Li-san were able to escape.

"Oh yeah, another thing." Li-san said and everyone looked up. The two men were about to run for it. "Those guys, whoever arm wrestled with them would probably have won. They were using alchemy to cheat. It's under the table. That's why it kept breaking if one of you seemed like you were going to win. My best bet, would be that the girl that tried before me would have won. So I don't think the person who made her automail is a loser." Li-san explained, shooting a glance at the rich boy who only sniveled and rushed off somewhere. Everyone who had tried and failed, stared knives at the two cheaters.

"Now now can't we--AAAAAAUUUUGGGH!" the two cried as they were running away from a large crowd. The five laughed, but then heard Winry squeak. They rushed off at top speed to get away from Winry and the crowd.

"Hey! Don't leave me here!" Winry sobbed as the crowd seemed to be a tidle wave, sweeping her in.

"Sorry Winry!" Ed cried.

"We'd love to stay but!" Al continued.

"We gotta go!" Li-san cried.

"See you later!" Hazel finished as the four rushed off.

"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU GUYS! YOU ARE SO IN FOR IT!" they heard Winry howl and that made them run even faster!

The four sighed in relief when they were away from the crowd. They walked around the streets just a little bit, and still wondered who that girl was. Luckily, they ran into her sitting on a bench, sulking. The moment Li-san saw, she took the prize money and threw it on the girl's lap. The girl was surprised, and stared down at the bag.

"Huh?" she wondered and looked up to see Li-san, Hazel, Al, and Ed smiling at her.

"This is yours." Li-san said and the girl opened the bag. Her eyes grew wide, and looked up at Li-san.

"Are you kidding me! This was the prize money..." the girl said.

"You fairly won it. Those two were cheating, using alchemy to make you lose. So really, you were the winner. I told the people about the frauds, and about your mechanic, whoever he or she is that is." Li-san said with a smile.

"Thanks!" the girl said with delight. Suddenly, the five heard someone in the distance roar, a wrench in her hand.

"ED! AL! LI-SAN! HAZEL!" the voice roared like a lion as it charged at it's prey. The wrench was thrown, and it went from Al, to Li-san, to Hazel, and to Ed. It came back to Winry, like a boomerang! She started to shake Ed up and down.

"DON'T EVER LEAVE ME AGAIN IN THIS PLACE!" Winry roared.

"W-Winry! You're scaring our friend!" Hazel cried, trying to calm Winry down. A bump was seen on Hazel's head. Li-san was weeping, and Al was knocked out. Winry looked from her 'traitors', to the girl sitting on the bench, a very scared look on her face.

"Oh! You're the one who challenged that cheater before! Your arm seemed to get a little banged up." Winry said, dropped Ed on the ground, and walked over. The four were 'examing' Ed as he was beaten to a pulp on the ground. He finally rose up painfully, and was going to yell at Winry.

"This automail...it's amazing! It's so simple, and yet so effective at the same time! Your mechanic sure is a good one. Maybe you should see him." Winry suggested.

"Yeah...you're right! I can tell Dominic now how great his automail is, so customers will come to his shop! Thanks!" the girl said with a wave.

"H-hey wait! Can't we at least get your name!" Hazel called.

"Oh! Yeah my name's Paninya! Later!" the girl cried and rushed down the street, the prize money in her hands: and a little bonus prize too! Everyone smiled, glad they could help her. Suddenly, Ed felt his pocket. His eyes grew wide.

"HEY! AFTER HER!" Ed roared and chased the girl down the street. Li-san, Hazel, Winry, and Al had question marks over their heads. Li-san and Hazel checked their pockets, and their eyes buldged too.

"COME ON! AFTER ED!" Hazel roared and charged.

"Why!" Al called.

"SHE STOLE OUR WATCHES!" Li-san cried and everyone chased after Paninya. As everyone chased after the thief, they reached her mechanics place. It was a small home, but it was nice. Paninya slipped in silently, and was looking for her mechanic. She found him working hard, and plopped the prize money in his lap. He grunted, and stared at it.

"It's the prize money from the arm wrestling contest! I won using your automail, and now everyone knows! Aren't you happy? That's also to repay my debt I owe you!" Paninya exclaimed happily. Before Dominic could answer, his door burst open as Ed rushed in, the others following close behind.

"YOU! YOU LITTLE! GIMME BACK MY WATCH!" Ed roared.

"Paninya, have you been pickpocketing again?" Dominic asked stiffly.

"Eh..." was her response.

"Hey!" Hazel cried as she burst through, Li-san behind her. The two gasped for breath.

"It's...not nice...to steal people's...things!" Li-san gasped.

"Hmph. I didn't steal. I...borrowed." Paninya said and suddenly found the prize money flying onto the ground.

"I don't want your prize money. Nor do I want you pickpocketing. You foolish girl, return what you stole." Dominic said as he walked out with his automail. Paninya frowned at the group.

"See what you did? You made Dominic mad at me! And I had everything planned out too!" Paninya pouted.

"So you were going to steal from us anyways! You're so selfish! Dominic's right you are a foolish girl!" Ed roared.

"Now now Ed, if we just ask nicely maybe we'll get our watches back." Li-san said with a nervous laugh. She looked at Paninya, and asked for the watches back. Reluctantly, Paninya gave them back and sighed as she walked out the door.

"Shouldn't we go after her Ed?" Al asked.

"Who cares. Let's just get goin' to Iron Town." Ed said with a shrug.

"Ed! That's not very nice. We should see what's wrong." Winry said and the group followed Paninya outside. She was lying on the ground, watching the clouds go by when she saw everyone looking at her.

"Sorry for..stealing your stuff. I just wanted to pay Dominic back for fixing me up with this automail of mine. He's a great guy, but he's just too stubborn not to take what I give him when clearly I want to repay him!" Paninya explained, frustrated.

"Maybe he'd accept it if you got it honestly without pickpocketing. It's not nice. You did tell him you won the arm wrestling contest didn't you?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah...I did. And he probably was going to take it, but then _you_ showed up." Paninya said.

"Well, try again and say that you're sorry or something. We have to go now anyways so I hope it works out for you." Ed said impatiently. He was dragged back by Al.

"Thanks...I should. Again, I'm sorry for stealing." Paninya said and bowed. The group smiled, Ed could only half grin. When everything worked out between Paninya and Dominic, the group waved goodbye and set out for Iron Town. When they reached the bridge, Ed turned to Winry.

"Winry, is there anything else you want to do here before we go to Iron Town?" Ed asked and Winry shook her head no. Ed sighed with relief.

"Good. Now gimme back my jacket." Ed said and snatched his away. So did Li-san and Hazel quickly. As they carefully crossed the bridge, it would only be a few minutes (more like 30 minutes or an hour) to get to Iron Town. First they would need to go through the StoneRidge Path. Little did they know they were targeted by thieves and bandits that seemed to be living on the outskirts of Rush Valley. With them was automail, so they would have no trouble in capturing the poor 'fools'. Little did the thieves and bandits know, they were in the prescence of three state alchemists...

A/N: Kay, this is where the side quest begins! i'll make it descriptive an' all so don' worry and i'll try to update whenever i can due to school and all! anyways, plz leave a review and chapter 9 will be comin' soon! and i've never done this before, but I would like at least 3 reviews before i post chapter 9 cause actually, i have chapter 9 up and ready and trust me, it has lots of laughs! so if u like this story as much as i luv it too, keep in mind that i won't post the next chapter until i at least get 3 reviews. that's all i'm askin! sorry if it sounds harsh-ish... anyways, laters ev'ryone! -Em


	9. StoneRidge Path Turns Into A SideQuest?

A/N: Heyyy everyone! since it's the weekend now and i can update, here's another chapter of fullmetal adventure! now i will say this is a looong chapter and very funny, TRUST me. i will also say, that a little flashback will occur from li and hazel's past. o yea! another thing is, there's gonna be a funny surprise and twist to this story. if u remember, at the end of chapter 7 i said that Iron Town might end up like the one from Princess Mononoke. well, that was a surprise that was from another anime! This time, there will be another twist from another anime as well...just wait an' see, and tell me how u like this chapter! Happy Reading everyone!

**Special Guest Star From Fullmetal Alchemist:** Armony! (she's from the first fullmetal PS2 game if any of u haven't played it yet)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fma or any of it's awesome characters, like al for instance -smiles-, but i do own hazel and li-san.

**Chapter 9: StoneRidge Path Turns Into A Side Quest!**

"Haaaaazel...Li-saaaaaaaan...I thought you said it would take only just a few minutes to get thereeee." Ed whined as he slumped like a hunchback as the five continued their way through StoneRidge Path.

"Sorry Ed, we forgot that it takes almost an hour to get to Iron Town. StoneRidge Path _is_ long." Hazel laughed. Ed sighed bitterly.

"Relax Ed. We'll take a break if you want. Hazel and I used to always visit Rush Valley when we were little. When we reach halfway we'll take a break, okay?" Li-san said cheerfully.

"You guys, how long has it been since you visited your hometown?" Winry asked.

"Didn' we already answer that Hazel?" Li-san asked as a question mark popped over her head.

"I don't think so...We haven't been to Iron Town since we left to sign up for the military." Hazel answered.

"Same here!" Al cried, he almost seemed happy.

"Hahaha. I'm glad you're happy about it Al. But uh...Ed." Li-san said and turned to her friend.

"Yeah?" Ed asked.

"When we get to Iron Town, hide your pocket watch. Don't even mention you're part of the military." Li-san said.

"Why?" Ed asked.

"Let's just say, Iron Town isn't one that welcomes state alchemists, or anyone from the military." Hazel answered quietly.

"Yeah I mean, sure my dad was in the military an' all but they knew he had a good reason. Recently though the military hasn't been on Iron Town's good side so to speak. They've been--mmph!" Li-san started but Hazel cupped her mouth.

"Enough. They don't need to know all of it." Hazel said sternly, her eyes were closed. Li-san's were narrowed, and all of a sudden Hazel's eyes widened in disgust as she pulled her hand away from Li-san's mouth. Her eyes twitched as they were just big and bulged white pupils.

"Ewwwwwwwwwwwww! GROSS! Li-san you're so disguuuuustiiiiing!" Hazel cried as she stared at her hand, it had Li-san spit on it. Li-san couldn't help but roll on the floor laughing, literally.

"AHAHAHAHA! YOU DESERVED IT HAHA!" Li-san laughed on the ground, pointing up and down hilariously. Hazel's eyes narrowed, one still twitching. She grabbed Winry by the collar and said: "Wrench. NOW." This made Li-san stop abruptly, and her eyes grew wide as they started to pop out of her head (u know what i mean, right? lol). As Winry (who couldn't help but put on a face to Li-san saying: "Ooooh she's gonna get it now!") handed Hazel the wrench, Hazel's eyes were covered by her bangs, but flames could be seen.

"Ah...Hazel?..." Li-san asked. Ed and Al were in a corner, fearing the worst for poor Li. Hazel looked up slowly (sorta like how really freaky dolls do it, u know, right?), her eyes burning with rage. Li-san's mouth started to quiver slightly, and her eye twitched, sweatdrops everywhere.

"LIIII..." Hazel hissed a deep low and dark voice of DEATH.

"H-Hazel?...What are you going to do with that wrench? Surely physical torture isn't neccessary now is it?" Li-san squeaked. Hazel couldn't help but form a slow, evil, _evil_, smile. The scene went to Li-san's eyes (ONLY!) as they twitched uncontrollably. All at once, Hazel spoke loudly.

**"GET OVER HERE SO I CAN HIT YOU CONTINUOUSLY WITH THIS WRENCH!"** Hazel screamed and Li-san ran around in circles, Hazel following.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Li-san screamed, a stream of tears could be seen.

**"STOP RUNNING AWAY FROM ME! YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME! BUWAHAHAHAHAH!"** Hazel roared.

"FORGIVE MEEE!" Li-san cried.

**"NEEEEVEERRR!"** Hazel returned and in seconds, the scene went to the sky. Silence took over...but in seconds a loud piercing scream could be heard from the path as sounds of bonks and whams and who the hell knows what else echoed in the distance. Hazel looked very proud of herself, and gave the shaking and slightly scared Winry her wrench back. Hazel took in deep breath.

"Thank you Winry. Now we can press on." Hazel said as she walked away. Ed, Al, and Winry were above Li-san who was on the ground. She was in funny injury mode, as there were many bumps on her head. She also looked like Ed when he got seriously hurt by Izumi (ummm...not really a form or anythin, a blob for a body lol and one strand of hair with blood runnin down his nose and a tooth missing lol), except for being bald with one strand of hair. She had a shrivelled black ponytail in the back, and her bangs were on the right side of her face.

"B-Brother? Is she...d-d-d-dead?" Al asked.

"I dunno...what do you think Winry?" Ed asked. Winry didn't answer, too shocked for words!

"What do we do Brother?" Al asked.

"Only one thing we can do..." Ed said sternly. (By this time, Hazel was a stick figure in the distance, waiting for everyone to catch up) Winry and Al looked at Ed. By this time, Ed had his bald head and one strand of hair look.

"We...POKE HER!" Ed exclaimed and started to poke Li-san. He couldn't help but laugh. All of a sudden, he turned white as Li turned to Ed. Eye twitching, Ed moved away from Li-san. Li-san gave Ed a stare, and out of her mouth came a roar of rage.

**"STOP POKING MEEEEEE!"** Li-san roared in a dark voice, and finally, the five pressed on (after Winry, Ed, Al, and Li caught up with stick figure Hazel). On top of StoneRidge path, bandits and thieves ran with them, not being seen. Still, they had the courage to talk.

"Boy that sure was a site to see." one said.

"Oh shut it." the other replied.

"That Hazel really scares me..." someone said from behind and everyone agreed, dark lines under their eyes.

Already a few minutes passed by, and Ed was groaning again, complaining about how it was still taking forever to get there. He even mentioned a couple of times: "Are we there yet?" to be answered quickly with a loud roar: **"NO!"**.

"Brother, you should be happy to visit a new town!" Al scolded.

"Don't worry Al. If Ed wants to be Mr. Grumpy Shrimpy Gnome then let 'im." Hazel said with a shrug and Ed was in front of Hazel in no time.

"What did you call me?" Ed said, his eye twitching. Hazel had sweatdrops behind her head.

"Ah... Mr. Tall Handsome Guy?" Hazel covered.

"**That's** what I thought you said." Ed said with a smile and walked foward to run into Li-san. Hazel and Winry were (at this point) talking about something as they were falling behind.

"H-hey! Li! Watch where you're going!" Ed roared. Li-san didn't listen, she looked at a part of the stone wall to the left. On it was something that had dried out a long time ago...blood. Li-san walked over, and put her hand on the little stain. Her eyes grew wide, it was like she was seeing a vision... What was it? It scared her. She saw herself, when she was younger. She was tired...weak...unconcious...when all of a sudden: THUD!

_"What is this place?..What's going on!" Li-san screamed, but only she could hear herself. She saw her little version of herself on Hazel's back, only one arm supporting her. Hazel didn't look so well either. She was tired as well, and weak...near to fainting herself. But she pushed foward, reaching Rush Valley. The place were Li-san saw the blood spot, she saw little Hazel lose her balance and crash into the hard wall, screaming in pain as little Li was dropped onto the ground. Li-san began to have tears form in her eyes...This was when she was unconcious. She wasn't there to help Hazel through her pain...she was unconcious, and it made her realize that Hazel had always been there for her. Hazel staggered over to little Li, who seemed to be whimpering in pain when she crash landed on the ground. Hazel managed to get little Li on her back again, and pressed foward. The tears continued to fall from Li-san's eyes. The night they did human transmutation, it was raining. What she did remember was that when she woke up in Rush Valley, Hazel had come down with a minor fever, and the two had to stay in Rush Valley for a couple of days. That was also the day where the two found out that little Li wasn't a great cook when it came down to making soup... Last time she almost spilled all of it either on the floor, or on Hazel... Li-san sweatdropped for a moment, remembering how she almost made that pot of chicken noodle soup just pour on her friend. Luckily she managed to have it land on the floor._

_Li-san watched as Hazel finally was crossing the bridge, to see people following behind her! Who were they? They were bandits...and thieves...they were going after her!_

_"HAZEL!" Li-san warned, but younger Hazel could not hear her... She watched in horror as Hazel was across the bridge, looking back to have her eyes widen in fear as strangers walked toward her. She quickened her pace, but the amount of blood she was losing from her arm made her weak. Li-san could see little Hazel scream out for villagers to help, but no one was coming. Why was that? Was it night? What was the time? Li-san could only watch as the thugs came closer. Hazel was screaming for someone to help, desperate. She finally lost control, eyes becoming duller and duller by the minute, and finally...collapsed on the ground. Little Li seemed to have rolled off of Hazel and skidded across the ground with a thud. Li-san watched in fear as Hazel tried to get up, and crawl over to little Li. Li-san couldn't take it anymore, and she held her head in pain._

_"HAAAAAAAAAAZEL!" she cried and clapped her hands and placed them on the 'ground', desperately trying to use her alchemy to save little Hazel...even though nothing was working. She sobbed, and looked at little Hazel and gasped. For a split second, she could have sworn she saw little Hazel look up at her, eyes wide, filling up with hope..._

"Li-san! Li! Hey! Wake up!" Li could hear a voice call to her. She opened her eyes weakly, to see Ed standing over her. She got up with the help of Al and stumbled just slightly, holding her head in pain.

"What happened Li? Are you all right?" Winry asked, concerned.

"Y-yeah...I'm fine..." Li-san said weakly but fell back down slightly.

"Maybe we should take a break now Brother." Al suggested and Ed nodded. The five sat down now on the ground, and Li slumped her shoulders, shooken up from what she had seen. How did that happen? Why did that happen? What made it happen...

"Li? What's wrong? What happened to you?" Hazel asked, concerned.

"Nothing...it's nothing. I just got a little dizzy..." Li-san lied. Ed looked worried, and Al motioned Ed to come over and have a look at what made Li-san so weak now. Luckily, Winry and Hazel hadn't seen what really happened, they were busy talking about Iron Town and automail.

"Brother...look at this. Do you know what kind of stain this is?" Al asked and pointed to the red blotch on the rock wall. Ed examined a little closer, and then put a finger to it.

"I think...it's blood. But it's pretty dry..." Ed said.

"Who's blood do you think it was? Hazel's? Or Li-san's?" Al asked.

"I dunno. There's something Li isn't telling us. What I remember last was Li-san walking over here, placing her hand on this part of the rock, and then just falling to the ground! Some sort of...flashback must have come to her." Ed hypothesized and the two walked back over to the group.

"Li, is there something you're not telling us?" Ed asked.

"Why would you say that?" Li-san replied.

"Because you're shaking." Ed answered. Li-san looked at the ground, not saying a word.

"What happened? Li? Tell us, we want to help." Al said.

"There are bandits and thieves here. They might be coming, for us." was all Li-san was going to say. All at once, a crowd of thugs surrounded them!

"Looks like we've been found out...No matter, take em down boys!" the leader called and everyone charged.

"Damn...just what we needed!" Ed said and clapped his hands, using his alchemy. Everyone was sent flying. The leader and a few were left standing. The leader only grinned, and threw a smoke bomb. Everyone coughed a little, and in minutes they were knocked out by shear force. Al was bound by strong chains. They were brought to a secret cave where all the thugs lived. What was happen now? Only one thing the two girls thought to themselves. _'SIDE QUEST!'_

Hazel, Li-san, and Winry woke up in a cage. They were tightly wrapped with rope, and looked around the room.

"It's...pretty dark in here..." Li-san whimpered.

"Stop your yapping Li-san." Hazel snapped.

"Are you two all right?" Winry asked. The two nodded with small grins. They sighed, and then heard a rustle. Li-san lept up frantically and waited for someone to catch her, but fell on the ground with a thud.

"We're tied with rope, baka." Hazel said, her eyes were narrowed as she looked at her stupid partner who only laughed nervously.

"Hazel? Li-chan?" a voice asked in the cage next to them.

"Damn it all I wish I could do alchemy...we need some light!" Hazel hissed. Suddenly, a light could be seen from the other cage. The person held the light up to her face. She had short red hair, and her eyes were a maroon color. Two strands of light red hair could be seen sticking out a little and going into an upside down U form (surprise! surprise!)

"Hazel? That you? It's me! Armony!" the voice cried next to them.

"Armony! What are you doing here!" Li-san cried in amazement.

"I've been here for three days now! I got ambushed a while ago. Why are you guys here?" Armony asked as she put the candle in between the cages.

"We were ambushed too." Hazel said bitterly.

"Winry-san, this is Armony. She's our childhood friend from Iron Town!" Li-san introduced. Winry bowed, and said hello. Li-san turned to Armony.

"Say Armony, how'd you get caught? I never really thought you to be the one to stray from home." Li-san asked.

"Well, actually, I was on my way to go out on my own adventure, but apparently it got cut short." Armony said, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Wow. Sucks to be you." Li-san said. Everyone stared at her blankly. She couldn't help but laugh. "Kidding, kidding! Duuuuh!" Li-san said and put on a dopey look to make them laugh. The group smiled, but then sighed again.

"You guys...I'm worried about Ed and Al." Winry said.

"Don't worry. I'm sure they're okay. Right now we need to get out of these ropes." Li-san said and tried to break free. She succeeded because of her automail, and got the rest out too. They all turned to Armony.

"Armony, do you know how to get out of here?" Hazel asked.

"I've tried three times already to get outta here, but every time I get caught and..." Armony started and trailed off.

"Armony, don't tell me they beat you up." Li-san gasped and Armony nodded. Li-san steamed.

"WHEN WE GET OUTTA HERE I'M GONNA BLAST THEM TO BITS!" Li-san roared as fire came out of her mouth. She aimed her arm at the bars and her cannon came out.

"ARE YOU NUTS! PUT THAT AWAY!" Hazel screamed as she succeeded in making Li-san's weapon back inside.

"Hazel! We gotta get outta here and get revenge for Armony! No one hurts my friends and lives!" Li-san wailed.

"Li-chan I don't want you to do that for me, it's a kind offer though." Armony squeaked. Li-san settled, and Hazel gave her a bonk on the head.

"What was that for!" Li-san hissed.

"You idiot! If you woulda fired your cannon here you'd blow the place up and we'd be caved in!" Hazel roared.

"Guys...why don't you fight later?" Winry suggested, but they didn't hear her.

"It's okay Winry, they used to fight all the time when they were little. But I guess it's just a sign that they have respect for eachother." Armony said as she waved her hand up and down. _'More than you know actually...'_ she thought. Winry couldn't help but smile.

"And if I don't then we'll be stuck here! C'mon pleeeeeeeeease?" Li-san pleaded.

"No! That's final!" Hazel cried back

"But Haaaaaazel!" Li-san whined.

"Don't give me that lip!" Hazel roared.

"I ain't giving you any lip!" Li-san shot back.

"Idiot!" Hazel cried.

"Baka!" Li-san shot back.

"Idiot and Baka mean the same thing you dingbat!" Hazel hissed and Li-san steamed.

"AH PUT A SOCK IN IT! BAKA BAKA BAKA!" Li-san pouted as she stomped up and down.

"I'm not the idiot! You are!" Hazel roared.

"WELL YOU'RE MORE OF AN IDIOT THAN I AM! Wait...I just called myself an idiot...ARGH I AM SO CONFUSED!" Li-san roared and Hazel snickered.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Li-san wailed. Hazel couldn't help but laugh as she pointed. Once Hazel and Li-san were finished with their little fight, they wondered about Ed and Al. Winry was the first again to speak about them.

"Boy...I wish Al and Ed were here..." Winry said with a sigh, and wondered where they were in this cave. Li-san only sighed, and clapped her hands.

"Aw hell with this. We're gettin outta here whether they're left here or not! I wanna open up a can of **WHOOP ASS** on those bandits and thieves!" Li-san roared. Armony had a surprised dramatic look.

"Li-chan! Since when do you swear!" Armony asked.

"You don't want to know Armony." Hazel said, her eyes were like - - with some sweatdrops to follow.

"There's a lot of things you don't want to know about me." Li-san said hilariously monotonously when the bars broke (think about the slowskies commercial!). As they escaped, Armony was soon freed and they explored the depths of the cave, still wondering how Ed and Al were handling things.

Ed woke up with a start as Al nudged him slightly. He looked around, dazed a little and saw Al stare at him. They were in a cage, and it seemed that they couldn't get out. As Ed looked around in disbelief, he saw a jailguard looking straight at him.

"What are you lookin' at? Shorty?" the guard asked. Ed's veins popped and he growled.

**"WHO YOU CALLIN SHORTY! COME OVER HERE AND-"**

"And what?" the guard challenged.

**"ISN'T IT OBVIOUS! I'LL WRING YOUR NECK!"** Ed roared, his teeth turned to fangs. The guard only laughed a 'heheheheheheh' and swung a pocketwatch around his finger. Ed's rage ended when he saw that the guard had his pocketwatch!

"H-hey! That's mine you bastard! Give it back!" Ed cried.

"Sorry shrimp. This is miiiiine now. It'll be at least some money. Shame it can't open, what'd you do shut it up with glue?" the guard asked as he tried to open the watch.

"Hey! Don't you dare open that watch! You have no right to even have it! AND DON'T CALL ME SHORT!" Ed cried loudly. The guard laughed again. As Ed tried to get up, he oofed back down.

"Sorry Brother, I should have told you that we're sort of tied up back to back." Al said with a sweatdrop. Ed sighed as he sat down grumpily, and the guard walked causciously over. He kept swinging Ed's pocketwatch.

"Heard you were a state alchemist. Without this yer nothin'." he grinned widely. Ed couldn't help but fume.

"Wanna bet!" Ed roared.

"Brother, settle. We're tied up we can't move, and you can't use your alchemy." Al said. The guard couldn't help but laugh hysterically at the failed attempts Ed tried to do. Suddenly, he heard from the other side of the cave that the other hostages were missing! He sneered at the two brothers, and with the cage key and pocketwatch he was off. It was at this point that Ed had a plan, having known that at least Winry, Hazel, and Li-san were safe and already escaping.

"Al, work with me here. You stand up when I do." Ed said. As Ed stood up, Al followed and Al fell backwards...onto Ed! "Owch...my back.." he said through a muffled voice, his leg twitching.

(Scene two) (you know how in anime they go around clockwise an' all? that's what's happenin)

"Okay...get up Al!" Ed said and they succeeded in standing. "Okay Al, I will take a left and you take a step foward to your left." Ed instructed.

"Okay Brother." Al said with a nod and Ed went one way while Al went the other. They both ended up on their butts.

"Al! You messed me up!" Ed fumed.

"But _you _told me to go _foward left_!" Al protested with a sigh and added, "Boy Brother, you sure have a **short**temper."

"I DO NOT! DON'T YOU EVER USE A LITTLE WORD WHEN I'M HERE!" Ed cried.

(Scene three)

"'Kay Al, ready? And..Go!" Ed intructed and the two were able to stand. "Okay Al, I know last time it was my fault. So this time I want you to go backwards left while I go frontwards left. Okay?" Ed said.

"Mm-hm. Right Brother!" Al said and the two walked to the left.

"That's it Al you're doin' it! Allright!...W-wait Al stop...Al stop!" Ed cried but it was too late. He was practically forced into the bars. When Al moved backwards, an upclose of Ed's face could be seen. Bar lines were on his face, and his eyes narrowed.

"S-sorry Brother!" Al said and Ed sighed as he sat down, Al following.

"I give up..." Ed said with a sigh and then heard voices. The two looked up to see Winry, Hazel, Li-san, and a girl they didn't know.

"There you guys are! We've been looking all over for you! Stealthfully too I might add!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Why did we have to go into stealth mode? I wanted to blast these guys to outerspace!" Li-san wailed and got a smack from Hazel.

"Ah can it!" Hazel cried and Ed and Al were released. Armony couldn't help but giggle.

"Isn't it usually the guys that come to rescue the girls? Then again short blondie over here has a braid so I guess he is a girl! Wahahaha!" Armony couldn't help but laugh.

"And who the _hell_ is this?" Ed snapped with a pointing finger, and a fist with her unknown name on it.

"Ed this is Armony. Armony this is Ed. He's our friend so don't call him any names and stuff. Armony's our friend Ed, since childhood really." Hazel introduced with a sweatdrop.

"Pleased to meet you Ed." Armony bowed.

"Yeah, same I guess." Ed answered and the reunited group found their way out of the cave. When they could see the light, Armony couldn't help it but rush out.

"Ah! Fresh air! How I've missed you!" Li-san cried happily and then her eyes bulged, having dark lines underneath. For the bandits and thieves had their automail aimed at her! "Then again...a dark, airless, creepy cave is good too!" she cried as she waved her hands up in the air.

"Ah, that's our Li-chan." Armony said with a bright smile.

"No one's goin' nowheres. Now just go back quietly to your spots and we promise we won't hurt you." the leader said, he still had Ed's watch.

"Hey! Member me!" Ed roared and charged at full speed. Li-san and the leader looked at the 'shrimp' who came charging through like a wild boar! Li-san's eye twitched, and Ed charged passed her as she wailed in the sky, falling on her head where the others were. They just stared at her, and then Li's hand stuck up in the air. Ed didn't have time to apologize now, so he tackled the leader to the ground and started to strangle him.

"CALLIN ME SHORTY! STEALING MY POCKETWATCH! REVEEEEENGE!" Ed roared and couldn't help but shake him up and down until he fainted. Ed looked at everyone else then, clapped his hands, and they were brutally forced up into the sky and beyond! Perhaps to another galaxy...or maybe, _possibly_ into a different dimension (ooohs and aaaahs are heard in backround). The scene went to a different scene (this is where my surprises come into view) and a boy with orange hair looked at a boy with gray hair. They stared at eachother.

"THIS IS IT! TIME FOR ME TO KICK YOUR ASS!" the orange haired boy cried and charged. When he was right up to the purple boy, he had men crash land on him as he crumpled to the bottom of the dog pile. The gray haired boy had swetadrops behind his head, and his bangs were hiding his eyes.

"Stupid cat. Maybe another day..." the purple haired boy said with a sweatdrop and walked out. The boy on the bottom of the dog pile erupted with a grunt, and looked at the men with rage. He rolled up his sleeve, and a tail and cat ears popped out.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU! GET OUTTA HERE!" the orange haired boy cried and knocked them all back to where they came from.

"AAAAAH!" they all cried.

(back to fma world. can u guess what world the bandits went to? lol)

Ed, finally, regaining himself, took his pocketwatch and placed it back in his pocket. He looked up at the sky, and then to his friends.

"Let's get outta this dump. I'm tired of having to walk all the way to Iron Town." Ed said. The group nodded, and Li-san wailed.

"WAAAAAAAAAIIIITTT!" Li-san cried as she was in position where baseball people (i forget their names) would call out 'SAFE!'.

"What is Li-chan?" Armony asked. Li-san pulled her cannon, and then blasted the cave to bits. There was a rumble, and a little vibration in the earth. Li-san turned around and smiled.

"Okay. Now we can go." she smiled brightly and walked away. Ed, his mouth agape, watched as she walked, hands behind her head with a bright smile on her face.

"And exactly what was the point of that?" Ed asked.

"You don't want to know Ed." Hazel said as she gave a pat on his back and walked up to Li-san, Armony following close behind. Al and Winry passed him, and he finally rushed up to them. When they continued their journey to Iron Town, Ed couldn't help but ask, "Are we there yet?" He was finally silenced when everyone (except the lovable Al) hit him on the head saying, **"FOR THE LAST TIME NO!" **Armony couldn't help but say later on, "Well, we're really close Ed so no need to worry." with a smile on her face. In time, they could see a town up ahead. It was then that they knew that Iron Town was just a little ways away.

A/N: well, there's chapter 9! hope u guys had a lot of laughs from readin it. can u guess which anime i used this time? lol. anyways, plz R&R (i would like at least 4...yes 4. last time i said 3 but this time i say 4! but three will be an exception too... reviews plz lol that's all i ask -nods- )and chapter 10 will hopefully be comin' soon! it will include some more pasts of hazel and li, _and_ as to why Iron Town hates the military and state alchemists (u can take a guess in the review section if ya like D ) but mainly it will include the pasts of hazel and li lol. anyways, chapter 10 will be up soon once i get to typin it, and thanx so much for stickin' with this story! laterz! -Em


	10. We're Home? Memories Part I

A/N: Okay, fair warning: This chapter is at least 20 pages long, so it's LONG but very descriptive and a key part in this story. as the title states, everyone is in Iron Town and memories from the past will be revealed (keep that in mind!) there's some humor in this chapter, but i felt very dramatic while doing it so it will mainly be a drama sorta chappie, but the rest of it from 11 to whatever will probably be funny, no worries! anyways, please R&R, and Happy Reading! P.S- I haven't done this before, but I am answering a ? from a review that fix-it alchemist brought to my attention.

**to fix-it alchemist and other readers:** okay, i know i sent u a reply from ur review, but i am also lettin other readers know when. Okay, fix-it alchemist brought to my attention how i haven't _mentioned_ the real world yet. i mean, no one from fullmetal knows about hazel and li-san from 2006 world, right? -hint- -hint- anyways, about the real world, it shall be mentioned in at least the second or third to last chapter...or it will just be mentioned. i don't want to give away the ending about the Real World and how it comes up, so this is all i will say so far. anyways, thank u all again for sticking with this story! Happy Reading :)

**Special Guest(s): **Armony and Eiselstein! (from the ps2 game!)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, however I _do_ own Li-san and Hazel :)

_italics flashbacks_

_' thoughts_

" someone speaking... just sayin! ;)

**Chapter 10: Memories... We're Home? Part I**

Li-san and Armony ran up to the top of the hill that led to Iron Town below. The two couldn't help but laugh as they went along. Everyone behind them couldn't help but smile. Hazel had her hands behind her head, and put on a small grin.

"Look Hazel look! Iron Town!" Li-san said pointing.

"I see it, I see it Li! There's no need to be that excited." Hazel said quietly as she hid her pockewatch, hoping that Li-san hid hers too. Ed, Al, and Winry looked at Hazel curiously, worried about her answer. She looked at them, and then sweatdrops fell as she couldn't help but wave her hands in the air. "Not that I'm saying I feel bad coming home no not at all!" she covered. _'Our home? Whatever happened to remembering who we really are Li? Have you really just forgotten again?... I don't think I have the power to bring you back again...I'm scared...'_ Hazel thought, and sighed. She was glad she was holding on to the Hazel in the Real World. It was Li-san that she was worried about.

"You can't believe what's been going on in Iron Town lately. So much has changed since you left! Don't worry though I've been visiting your houses each day and kept them tidy." Armony said with a smile.

"Aw shucks thanks Armony!" Li-san said and gave Armony a chibi hug.

"What's changed Armony?" Hazel asked.

"Well for one, the military has been doing even more stupid and cruel things here... can you believe that they arrested three kids our age from our town when all they did was give evil glares at the military, and try to throw rocks at them? I mean, it's not their fault they hate the military!" Armony said with a scowl. Ed was surprised, and so was Winry and Al.

"Who'd they arrest? Don't tell me Megan, Illiana, Christine, and Caitlin!" Li-san shrieked, gasping. Armony nodded. (note: the people i mentioned are fullmetal fans)

"It was the only thing they thought would be a good thing because they had already arrested Megan's father, Illiana's grandmother, Christine's mother, and Caitlin's older sister." Armony said.

"Why would the military do that? What's going on here?" Ed asked, making sure to hide his pocketwatch (even though he didn't know he had been found out already).

"Well, it all started with the Ishbalan War... See, Iron Town is a peaceful town not wanting any war. But the military needed more soldiers. Li-chan's father was the only one that was brave enough to go, and he took Hazel's mom with him for medical support; that and she wanted to help out. Our town never ever didn't like Hazel and Li's parents even though they were in the military. It's just the rest of them they hate. So Hazel, Li-chan, how has your travelling the world been? Been to new places? You gotta spill at daddy's place!" Armony said with a laugh as she took Hazel and Li-san by the hand. As Armony, Li-san, and Hazel got a head start as the rest followed, behind their heads were minor sweatdrops.

"Travelling..." Ed started.

"The world?" Winry finished. They followed close behind, and entered the town. They made their entrance, and Armony became the loud speaker.

"EVERYONE! HAZEL AND LI-CHAN ARE BACK!" Armony announced and everyone emerged out of their homes to meet the two. Crowds gathered, and chattering began.

"Hey everyone! We're back and better than ever! How's everyone here!" Li-san said happily.

"Hello Dick, Arnold. Mrs. Lauren how are you?" Hazel talked to her friends and her close 'relatives', even though not by blood. Ed, Al, and Winry seemed a little lost, and they just stood away.

"OH HEY! EVERYONE! ALONG THE WAY ON OUR TRAVELS WE'VE MET THESE GREAT PEOPLE! MEET WINRY-SAN ROCKBELL, EDWARD SHORTSALOT, AND ALPHONSE ARMORPANTS!" Li-san joked and everyone laughed, welcoming the new travellers. Ed couldn't help but laugh, but he didn't know why she didn't say their real last names. I mean, usually saying Edward Elric, people would know he was a state alchemist. Then again, knowing who he was in this town was a bad idea. He still wondered why, only knowing that the military was not welcome here because they had done cruel things in the past... and why did Li-san and Hazel make up their story of travelling the world? As the reunion ended, Armony decided to take everyone to her home. It was the one that stood alone, and somewhere below on either side was Hazel and Li-san's houses.

"Daddy! Guess who's returned from their travels!" Armony cried as her echoe filled the room. The group heard footsteps, and all of a sudden a tall man with long gray hair walked in. He was wearing a long brownish greenish (i can't remember the color) robe that was a like a cloak in the back.

"Ah! Hazel, Li-chan! Well well this sure is a surprise! Come over here and give your Uncle Eiselstein a hug!" Eiselstein said with a smile, arms open wide. (i think that's his name...) Hazel and Li-san welcomed it and the three hugged. Ed, Al, and Winry couldn't help but smile.

"And who are these fine people you've met?" Eiselstein asked.

"This is Edward Shortsalot and Alphonse Armorpants. That's Winry-san Rockbell." Li-san introduced with a laugh.

"Please, just call me Winry Mr. Eiselstein." Winry said with a smile.

"Why hello there, all of you. Ah, Armony, will you be a good girl for daddy and go into the kitchen to make some food for our guests and our family?" Eiselstein asked.

"Sure daddy! Winry, would you like to help me in the kitchen?" Armony asked.

"Sure Armony! I'd love to!" Winry added with a smile. When they disappeared around the corner (the kitchen seemed to be far away), leaving the smiling group behind, Hazel and Li-san were on their knees, heads were bowed. Ed and Al didn't know what to do and looked at Eiselstein, his face was stern. He looked at them, and then to Ed.

"Ah, the famous Fullmetal Alchemist..." he said.

"H-how did you?-"

"There's only one explanation for Li-san and Hazel to bring back guests. I assumed, since your name is Edward, that you were Fullmetal. It seems that I was right." Eiselstein answered, hand up with a small chuckle. Ed couldn't help but shut his mouth after it was a little wide in agape.

"You see, I've always known that these two girls were part of the military. You're probably wondering why Li-chan came up with those silly last names for you.." Eiselstein said and shot a glance at Li who blushed a little embarrassingly.

"Yeah actually...Although, I sort of know why, just not all the details." Ed answered.

"Well Edward, I guess you know about the Ishbalan War and these two girls parents... It was after the war that things started to become rough for us. The military came back, telling us about the loss of Serenity Manson and Ken Yamanaka. After they had told us the news, we had no time to mourn for the military began to take control over this town. As our name says, Iron Town is where iron can be found. There are also other elements here that can be used for alchemy. The military collect almost all the iron and all the alchemic elements we have, and recently we've been fresh out of what they request. We came to hate the military, and because we cannot fullfill our monthly pay we are forced to be bound to them. They come for an inspection every week, and if something isn't to their liking they will punish whoever is in charge, and arrest them. Already we've lost eight children, two women, and five men. Can you imagine what this town thinks of the military for what they've done?" Eiselstein explained. Ed felt so guilty, since he was a part of the military. He started to shake, and for some reason tears came to his eyes.

"I...I'm so sorry...I'm sorry that you've been...been faced with these hard times and I...I promise that something will be done about it!" Ed said through tears. Eiselstein couldn't help but smile. There was something about this alchemist that was different from the rest, like Li and Hazel.

"Don't worry Ed...there's nothing for you to be sorry about. Even though you're a part of the military, you've never done anything wrong." Hazel said and placed a hand on Ed's shoulder when she and Li-san got up.

"Excuse me, Mr. Eiselstein... how is it that you're the only one that knows that Li-san and Hazel are state alchemists? Even Armony doesn't know..." Al asked.

"Because they are the ones that came to me after **that **alchemy was performed. They told me all about it...especially how they had gotten automail mysteriously. Armony only knows that Li-chan--I see you've been upped recently Li." Eiselstein corrected himself and Li-san blushed.

"You can call me whatever you like Uncle..." Li-san said respectfully and Eiselstein laughed.

"It's all right. Li-san suits you better anyways. Ahem, as I was saying... Armony only knows that Li-san and Hazel are very good and well trained alchemists, and that when they left at the age of 13 and 12 they were going on a journey to see the world in a different view. Armony didn't quite well understand, but she felt it had something to do with the recent 'accident' that involved getting automail." Eiselstein said.

"Ed, we were scared to tell Armony we were going to become state alchemists after we got our automail cause...we thought she'd hate us since she hated the military. The military started to do their mean things when we were 10 and 11." Hazel explained.

"It was before they left and told me of their mission, they came to me. This was when they were 7 and 8 Ed.. They were confessing their sin to me, and why they had automail.. I remember...it was raining that day... They had just come back from Rush Valley after staying there for a couple of days..." Eiselstein said, and he seemed to look up, remembering that day...

_Armony was at a sleepover in a town south of Iron Town, and Eiselstein was left alone in the house. The only thing that was with him, was the rain that started to drizzle outside. He was worried about Hazel and Li-chan who hadn't been seen for a while, and he wondered what had happened to them. Suddenly, he heard the door open, and in the doorway he saw two figures. Li-chan was sitting on a wheel chair, and Eiselstein looked down to see she had automail limbs. That answered his question to why she was in a wheelchair. Rehab probably he assumed. Behind her was Hazel, she had her left arm as automail as well. What had happened to them!_

_"Hazel! Li-chan! Where have you been! I've been worried sick! How...how did you, when did you.. what happened?" Eiselstein asked, concerned when he saw Hazel and Li-chan, their eyes were dull and sad._

_"Uncle we...well, we...it was our fault." Hazel said. She fought through tears, because both of the girls were scared of how their uncle would react after they told him what terrible sin they had commited. Li-chan sniffled as she rubbed her eyes, tears were already streaming down her face. She still wasn't very good with her new auto limbs, and was in a wheel chair for now. Eiselstein bent down to their height level, and wondered what was wrong. He wiped away Li-chan's tears._

_"Tell me girls...you can tell me anything. I love you, you know that." Eiselstein said affectionately, looking Li-chan in the eyes, and then to Hazel's._

_"Uncle we...we performed...something horrible... have you been...b-b-been to our b-b-basement in Hazel's house r-recently?" Li-chan stuttered. Eiselstein felt a pang in his stomach, and he rushed out the door, Hazel (pushing Li-chan) and Li-chan following close behind. When Eiselstein burst through the door, he rushed downstairs with Li-chan and Hazel following. They waited at the top of the steps... The scene went to Eiselstein, his eyes were wide. In their basement were two horrible figures...blood all over the floor... arms, legs, ribs, intestines...not in the right places. Their faces, icy and cold.. He vomitted, seeing the attempt of human transmutation...a failure. And what was the cost? More than he could ever imagine... The loss of two little girls' innocence, and having their life change in the form of the cursed alchemy and what it could do to people... _

_Guilt, hurt, and anger came over him. Why didn't he see it before? They were into alchemy, he knew that... but losing their parents, was it too devastating for them? They had lived with it for two years, but then again it was probably a mask to hide their true feelings. He was hurt that they didn't come to him...he knew this would never happen if they had talked to him. Then again, this was probably their plan all along, and didn't want anyone to know, knowing the risks of the transmutation. He was angry then, at how stupid and reckless they were! It made him rush upstairs in a rage. They were surprised at how he reacted._

_"Are you telling me that you used the forbidden alchemy, to bring back your mother and father?" he asked them, and they didn't answer...only looking at the floor. "Answer me!" he snapped and they nodded their heads, shakind all over; avoiding eye contact. He couldn't help but grit his teeth and he walked over to them, stomping his feet. They couldn't help but whimper. He lashed out, and slapped Hazel across the face, making her fall on the ground. He turned to Li-chan and gave her a smack as well. She wailed and Hazel rushed over to help._

_"Uncle please! Stop!" Hazel cried as she grabbed onto his arm, and she was thrust across the floor. Eiselstein rushed over to her and gripped her by the collar._

_"Do you realize the extreme danger and sin you have done! I would have never thought both of you would go to such lengths...Why didn't--why didn't you tell me! Come to me for advice! For help!" he roared and smacked her again. Hazel only sobbed tears and she continued to apologize, her cheeks started to become red. The scene went to Li-chan as she weakly and painfully made her way, slowly, to Eiselstein as he continued to shout. She seemed to be struggling a lot, and wobbled a little, swaying from right to left. When he was about to slap Hazel again, his hand raised high in the air, he felt something grab onto his cloak from behind. The two heard a thud right after. Hazel, through watery tears was able to see who it was, and her eyes widened, her pupils grew small. Eiselstein seemed to calm down, his rage disappearing. It was replaced with hurt, pain, and sadness. He looked to see Li-chan, gripping his cloak tightly in her hands. She was in a bowing position, and was shaking all over, her short bangs covered her eyes._

_"P-please...Uncle... Stop hurting Hazel. It's m-m-my fault t-too... Punish me too j-just don't... Don't hurt H-Hazel..." Li-chan whimpered, her shoulders shook violently, tears streaming down her face. Eiselstein looked at Hazel, her cheeks were still a little red from the slapping. He couldn't help but cry too, tears coming to his eyes. He turned around to Li-chan, and made her grip on her cloak loosen. Next, he brought Hazel around and placed her next to Li-chan who seemed to slump. He bent down, and embraced them in a hug. He had gone too far, that he knew. He promised himself he would NEVER do that again..._

_"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry girls I...Can you forgive your uncle? This one time? That's all I ask..." he said through tears. The rest of the day, they cried and cried, and until Armony came back home they were ready to put on a brave face again (after a long discussion), and put on a smile. For Armony's sake._

The room fell deadly silent. No one moved, spoke, nothing. Ed couldn't help but feel like crap...he just, snapped. He gripped his right metal hand in a fist, and shook it with all of his might.

"Ed? Are you all right?" Hazel asked, concerned.

"How can I be 'all right'?" he asked through grit teeth.

"We're sorry we didn't tell you...I mean, in details. If that's why you're mad at us then, we're sorry." Li-san said.

"I'm not mad at you...It's just, we were little kids! We just wanted to see our loved ones again! We didn't think it would be harmful, even though we knew it was forbidden! It's just not fair! We were just little kids! WE WERE JUST LITTLE KIDS! Why is it that...what we tried to do, it failed, and if to make matters worse we all lost a part of ourselves! Now we're on this wild goose chase, searching for answers, dreams, for our lives back! IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!" Ed roared as he slammed his fists on the floor, after falling on his knees. Al was silent, he didn't say a word. Inside he could feel how Ed felt, but instead he kept it inside. Eiselstein walked over to Ed, and put a hand on his shoulder. Ed looked up, wide eyes, on the verge of tears.

"Edward I, believe it or not I know what you're feeling..." Eiselstein started. Ed bowed his head in shame, hiding his tears. Eiselstein continued. "I..I don't know how to make you feel better, but I, I do know that you must know this." he continued and Ed looked back up, ready to hear Eiselstein's words. He took in a deep breath, and he said to Edward calmly, "You may have been little kids Edward, but that doesn't mean you didn't know the fact that human transmutation was wrong. Hazel and Li-san realized that the moment they had told me...the moment they seemed to show me what happened... Edward, do you realize that too?" Eiselstein asked. How the hell was that supposed to make Ed feel better! Then again, he did say that his words would probably not make the situation different.

"Y-yes...I do understand. I always have..." Ed answered, and wiped away his tears. He stood up, and Li-san walked over, putting her elbow on Ed's shoulder to make him lean over.

"Ah, cheer up Edo-kun! I mean...sure it might be hard now but someday when we're back to normal we'll be lookin' back on this day, knowing all of this stuff that little kids like us would never know!" Li-san said, trying to make the mood better. Ed couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Li's right Brother. We may think it is unjust now, but once we are able to fix what was done wrong, we'll finally be able to move on and have a great weight lifted off our shoulders." Al said with a smile, and Li couldn't help but blush and 'snuggle' up to Al who blushed a lot. In return though, he did give her a hug which made her more, as she put it: "I feel even more loved!" Hazel couldn't help but laugh.

"Everyone! The food's ready! Eddddd!" Winry cooed.

"Yeah?" Ed asked.

"I made your favorite." Winry said with a wink and disappeared behind the corner of the wall. Ed couldn't help but have his face light up.

"OH BOY! STEWWWWW!" Ed cried happily and rushed off in the kitchen's direction.

"Wait for us Brother!" Al called as he ran after Ed. Eiselstein, Hazel, and Li-san were left behind. Hazel and Li turned to their uncle, and frowned.

"Uncle...what has the military done now? I don't remember Iron Town this...plain and boring. It almost seems as if the life has been sucked out of everyone here. They're not like they used to be.." Hazel asked.

"What do you think? Already we've lost many, including Caitlin and Illiana and Christine...even Megan." Eiselstein said.

"Hmm...we'd get them out no problem but then...they'd know that we're in the military. Uncle, do you think it's a good idea to tell them now who we are and where we've been?" Li-san asked.

"That, is up to you two. Someday I thought this day would come. You cannot hide your true selves and your true reasons forever, and someday it will be revealed. I believe, that you should be the one to tell them instead of them finding out the wrong way. The way where they'd think you are...traitors." Eiselstein said silently.

"Hey! You three! The food's already out on the table c'mon let's go already!" Ed cried as he poked his head over the wall.

"Comin! FOOD!" Li-san said dramatically and rushed to Hazel who looked surprised. "I'M SO HUNNNGRYYYY! C'MON HAZEL LET'S DIG IN!" Li-san already shouted and took Hazel by the hand. The two girls rushed over to the dining room, with Eiselstein following behind; a smile on his face.

As the food was served, everyone dug in and ate to their content.

"Man! I can't remember having a great meal like this in a while!" Ed said with a laugh as he gobbled down his food, continuing to slurp his stew to his content.

"Brother, what have I told you about manners?" Al asked and Ed stopped with a strand of noodle sticking out. He slurped that up, and sighed.

"Oh c'mon Al, lighten up. You're acting like a girly girl." Ed said pointing.

"G--girly girl?" Al sobbed.

"Yeah you heard me!" Ed shot back.

"B-brother! How _could_ you!" Al said dramatically.

"There there Al, I'm sure you're not _that_ girly." Hazel said with a laugh to cheer Al up.

"So you think I'm girly!" Al squeaked.

". . ." were everyone's answer. Al was in a corner now, dark colors surrounding him.

"It's not that we think you are Al! We just think that if you ever _were_ uh, you wouldn't be that much of a girly girl like Ed says!" Li-san countered and Al seemed a little relieved. When he came back to the table, everyone continued to eat happily.

"So Hazel, Li-chan, where've you gone in your travels? I wanna know! And how'd you meet such hot guys like Ed and Al? Boy am I wondering what handsome fellow is under that suit of armor." Armony said dreamily.

"HEY BACK OFF AL IS TOTALLY MIIIIINE!" Li-san, without warning, roared; flames in her eyes. Everyone stared at her, and Li-san's eyes were just small white pupils. She sat back down, completely red as a beet.

"Uh...anyways, haha sorry Armony. We've been to a lot of places actually." Hazel answered.

"We hafta say, the best would probably be Risenbool! We should take you some time it's just so peaceful there! Kinda like Iron Town was haha--ah...Oh, I'm sorry for bringin' that up." Li-san started happily, and ended sadly.

"No no it's all right Li. We're happy that Risenbool was a nice place to visit." Eiselstein said as he had his fork and knife in each hand.

"Actually, it was in Risenbool Armony that we met Ed, Al, and Winry-san." Hazel added.

"Oh cool! Hey Winry-san, do you think that someday I could come with you to Risenbool?" Armony asked.

"Sure! I bet there's no problem with that." Winry answered with a smile. Everyone continued to eat from that point on, and when the meal was done Li-san shot up from her seat.

"Say! Say! Ed! Al! You should stay in Iron Town with us for a while! I'm sure your teacher in Dublith could wait! We still haven't showed you our houses!" Li-san announced with a snap.

"Yeah. I hope that's okay with you two if we could see your houses and stuff. Armony can join us too." Ed said with a smile.

"Let's do my house my house my house first! Please? Please? Pleeeeeeease! PLEEEEEEEEEAAA-eep!" Li-san wailed like a little kid to be shut by Armony and Hazel.

"You see what Armony and I have to deal with most of the time?" Hazel asked, her eye twitched a little. Li-san couldn't help but smile, sweatdrops formed. Ed and Al couldn't help but laugh.

"Sure. We can go to Li's house first." Al said with a smile and everyone went out of Armony's house, down the hill, and made a right. Li's house had a blue rooftop, and it seemed pretty okay compared to Armony and Hazel's house. As Li-san opened the door, it creaked a little, and inside was just a regluar house.

"Well here's the kitchen to your left, it's spotless thanks to good ol' Armony here!" Li-san said with a smile, and they all pressed on. "Living room, dining room, laundry room ( - - ) , closet, basement, and that covers the first floor! Any questions?" Li-san asked and Ed raised his hand. She called on him.

"Exactly what was the point in showing us your laundry room, closet, and basement, especially when we didn't even go down there?" Ed asked.

"It's my tour I show you what I want you to see!" Li-san roared as she swung him around silly.

"Okaaaaaaaay! Put me dooooooooown! I'm AIR SIIIIIICK!" Ed wailed. As Li-san did so, they went upstairs.

"You can all go wherever you want from here on out." Li-san said and went into her room. Al and Hazel followed, while Winry, Ed, Armony, and Eiselstein chatted downstairs in the living room.

"Is this your room, Li?" Al asked as he looked around. He saw two shelves stuffed with books, mostly on alchemy. In between the shelves was a window seat, and on them were many plush toys of cats. That made Al want to go over there and give the lifeless kitties a squeeze.

"Uh-huh. It's not that much, but it's something." Li-san answered with a smile. Five pictures caught his eye. One of them was old, and it was a picture of a woman in her late 20s, she had long, silky black hair and light brown colored eyes. A smile formed on her face, and it was a warm one at that. The second picture showed a man and a small child in his arms. He had spiky short dark brown hair as well, but silver colored eyes. In his arms was a little girl, short black hair is what she had with brown colored eyes. The third picture was of two girls at the age of 4 and 5, and the same man from the picture before next to a woman with long bright yellow colored hair and light blue eyes. The dirty blonde was on top of the black haired girl making a little peace sign while the girl on the bottom seemed a little angry while the adults seemed to laugh. The last picture was of the same two girls with one extra.

"Li, these are cool pictures. Who are these people though?" Al asked and pointed to the man and women.

"Huh? Oh. That's my mom. Wasn't she beautiful?" Li-san asked.

"Yeah...like you." Al complimented. Hazel couldn't help but giggle.

"That's my dad too. I guess you can tell who the cute little bundle in his arms is. And in the other picture it's me, Hazel, my dad, and her mom. The last picture is of me, Hazel, and Armony." Li-san said and Al smiled.

"Wow. Both of you, you have so much in common with your parents... I mean, looks." Al said.

"Aw, thanks Al." Hazel and Li-san said with a smile in unison. The room became silent, just a little. Soon, they exited Li's room and walked downstairs to find the others waiting for them.

"Hey let's go to Hazel's house now! C'mon c'mon!" Li-san cried and rushed out the door.

"Is that all right with you Hazel?" Ed asked. Hazel seemed to space out. _'Li...have you already forgottten? Have I already lost you, again? What can I do to pull you back..I'm scared and without you by my side I don't know what to do...Li...'_ she thought and was pulled back into reality when she felt someone on her shoulder. She turned to see Ed, concerned.

"Y-yes Ed?" Hazel asked

"I asked if it was okay to go see your house." Ed repeated.

"Y-yeah! Sure of course." Hazel answered with a small smile and the group headed out to Hazel's house.

As Ed, Al, Winry, Armony, and Eiselstein saw Li-san wait impatiently for them, they quickened their pace.

"There you guys are! You sure are slow!" Li-san complained.

"Might I remind you that this is _my_ house? Not yours?" Hazel said with a laugh as she opened the door. Hazel's house wasn't like Li-san's, Li-san lived in an ordinary house while Hazel lived in a pretty nice house. After all, her mother was a nurse after all.

"Wow! This is your house?" Ed asked.

"Yup yup. Hazel's mom was a nurse remember?" Li-san answered with a laugh.

"You guys can just look around if you want. No need for a tour." Hazel said with a shrug and turned to Li-san who looked at her with a curious look.

"Li, could I talk with you in private please?" Hazel asked and Li-san nodded. The two rushed up to Hazel's room, and the rest of the group wandered around the room, not daring to go down to the basement.

Li-san and Hazel entered the small room. Ah, it was just as Hazel had remembered it... Magazines were spread across the floor, some transmutation circles on paper were on her bed. On her shelves were books that were about alchemy and of the human body, a mix of alchemy books and doctor books (basically she was either gonna be a nurse or alchemist). Her bed was pretty big too, nice and wide and had great sheets. Li-san, without asking, jumped on to Hazel's bed and sat pretzel style, looking at her best friend with wide eyes.

"So what do you wanna talk about?" Li-san asked happily as she then decided to sit at the edge of the bed, swinging one leg back and forth.

"Tell me, Li.. You sounded so happy to be back 'home'." Hazel said in an irritated tone.

"Hm? Well of course silly! Why wouldn't I be glad to see my own house?" Li-san asked with a confused happy look. Hazel sighed, not knowing what to think.

"Tell me you, you still remember where we're from." Hazel said sternly.

"Where we're from? Oh..you mean _that_. Of course I know." Li-san answered quietly.

"So you..do remember?" Hazel asked.

"Of course I do! I wasn't born yesterday you know!" Li-san answered sharply.

"Oh well, you seemed so happy to be back 'home' that I thought you completely forgot about our real homes and all." Hazel said, taken aback.

"I _was_ happy Hazel. This Li-san was, and really...I was too. And, I sort of did, but in the back of my head I kept reminding myself that my true home is back where my basement is. Lighten up a little Hazel, I'm sure you can be one with your character just a little bit. Especially now that we're in Iron Town! It'd be ashame if you ended our little adventure in FMA World pouting like that. C'mon, smile! Jesus loves you!" Li-san said, mimicking their pal Jackie who had usually always said that at some point.

"Hahaha. Li-san, hate to burst your bubble but I don't think in FMA World they have Jesus." Hazel said with a laugh.

"Jesus or no Jesus I made you smile! Admit it!" Li-san said happily.

"gasp! Li! I'm appauled! Jesus or no Jesus! How could you!" Hazel said dramatically and the two laughed.

"You know what I meant. Now c'mon, let's get back down there and see how everyone likes your house! Pleeeeeeeeeeease?" Li-san asked as she took her friend by the hand, leading her to the door.

"Wait..you told me to be one with my character, so I will be. Let's just, stay here for a moment... I want...I want to look at my old pictures again." Hazel said with a sad smile. Li-san frowned, but smiled too.

"Oh, okay. I'll meet you downstairs then. I know! I'll give them another free tour by yours truly!" Li-san said with a smile and went outside. Hazel chuckled when she heard Li-san cry happily.

"Hey guys! Time for another tour!" Li-san cried.

"Aaaaaaaawww..." everyone whined except Eiselstein who only laughed heartily. Hazel walked over to her drawer, and opened it. Inside it was a box, and she took it out and flopped onto her bed. She opened the lid, and inside the box were pictures. She spread them across her bed, and looked at each one, memories flooding back to her. One of the pictures was of a man she never knew, one that she had always admired deep within her heart. He had golden eyes, and tan hair that was over to the side, spiked up a little. He wore a regular outfit, jeans and a white shirt. A memory flashed before her. She was just a little kid, of age 3.

_"Mommy? Who's dat?" Hazel asked as she pointed a finger to a picture of a man (the same one in future Hazel's picture). Her hand was extended with her finger pointed, while the other one had her index finger in her mouth. Her mother walked over, and looked at the man with admiration in her eyes. Tears began to form._

_"Mommy? Why you crying?" Hazel asked, worried. Her mother bent down to her height, and gave Hazel a hug._

_"That man...he's your daddy Hazel. Before you were born, he loved you very much. Remember that..." her mother said with a smile._

_"I will mommy, I will.." Hazel answered and started to cry with her mother. She realized how much her mother loved her father, and she would never forget him._

She gasped as a teardrop fell on the picture, and brushed away the tears quickly. She put that picture away, and looked at another. This picture was of her and her mother. Her mother had little Hazel on her lap, giving her a hug. Hazel, in the picture, was smiling as she looked up at her mother lovingly. Hazel couldn't help but feel the tears form again, and she started to shiver a little. She smiled at how happy she was with her mom, and wished that she had never left... that way, she wouldn'tve died, and Hazel and Li-san would be able to live freely without anything holding them back. Thinking this, Hazel clenched a fist as it trembled.

Was this what it meant? To be one with your character? Hazel hated it...she always seemed to get the bad side of her character, the one that made her cry, made her suffer, made her angered. In reality, she wasn't real in this world, in reality, fullmetal alchemist wouldn't even have the character Hazel Manson and yet... it did... She put that photo away, and looked at one with a family in it. It was the same one that was in Li-san's room. Two adults, laughing in the backround while there was one girl on top of the other. Another flashback occurred, and it made Hazel chuckle silently.

_"Lookee Lookee! Hazel look isn't it pretty!" Li-chan said happily as she pointed to a butterfly._

_"Catch it Li!" Hazel cried and toppled over her friend. _

_"Haaaaaaaaazel!" Li-chan wailed as she started to cry. Her father and Hazel's mother walked over._

_"Oh c'mon Li! It wasn't that bad! Crybaby!" Hazel couldn't help but mock. Li's father picked little Li-chan in his arms._

_"There there Li, there's nothing to cry about. It was just an accident I'm sure Hazel is sorry." her father chuckled and gave his daughter a kiss. Li-chan sniffled, and rubbed her eyes as Hazel apologized. Someone from the village was happy to take their picture once Hazel's mother asked, and when everyone was gathered around, the butterfly seemed to fly by. Hazel and Li-chan of course were in the front, and Hazel put her weight on Li-chan as she put her hand on Li's head and tried to get the butterfly. It landed on the side of her head, and when the person said: "Say cheese!" Hazel was left with a peace sign as Li-chan's eyes were narrowed and a pointy frown showed. Their parents in the backround laughed._

Yes, that was a good memory. It made Hazel feel warm inside. Perhaps, it wasn't _so_ bad like she thought. She put that picture away, and took out the last. This was one Li-san didn't have. It was of Li-san, herself, Armony, and Eiselstein. It was not long after their parents died in the war that Uncle Eiselstein took them in, and that Armony, Li-san, and Hazel would form a great bond. Hazel smiled happily, and put that picture on top of all the rest. She closed the case, and put the picture box back in the drawer. She sniffled, and wiped away the falling tears. As she was ready to leave her room, she looked back at it and found herself looking at a younger version of her. The younger version of herself was smiling as she looked out the window, waving. Hazel walked over, and she saw that younger Hazel was waving goodbye to her mother. Hazel gasped, and the images disappeared. Her chest felt a little jolt, and she turned back and gasped. In front of her, was her mother!

_'Hazel...'_ the voice called, arms open wide.

"M...Mom?" Hazel asked as she walked over to the ghostly figure of her 'mother'.

_'Hazel...'_ the voice continued to say. As Hazel was in reach of a hug, her mother's figure faded quickly when she heard Al cry in alarm, Li-san's name. Hazel snapped out of her transe, and rushed down the stairs. She saw the group as they were huddled around a crumpled figure on the ground, shaking all over with her hands over her head.

"Li! What's wrong! What happened!" Hazel cried in alarm.

"We don't know! She just saw something, a...a stain of blood on the ground and when she placed her fingers on it all of a sudden she just started screaming in pain! We don't know what to do!" Ed answered in alarm.

"I'll go get some help from the villagers! Wait here and try to calm her down. Armony, you come with me. Winry, will you come with us as well?" Eiselstein added and Winry nodded as the three rushed to the village. Hazel hit the ground on her knees and called out Li-san's name. Nothing was working, Li-san's eyes were closed tightly and she continued to scream in pain.

"Nothing's working! What do we do!" Al cried in alarm.

"Anything! Li! LI!" Hazel cried.

_Li-san was in her mind, she was scared and screaming her lungs out. In front of her was a door of some kind, it was huge. She was face to face with a dark figure, a smile on it's face._

_"Wh..who are you? Where are we?" Li-san asked in a squeak._

_"You're back? My my you've been visiting more frequently now." the dark figure answered._

_"What are you talking about!" Li-san roared in anger, hot tears fell from her face._

_"You don't recognize this? It's the Gate." the dark figure said._

_"G-gate? What gate?" Li-san asked._

_"You truly are clueless." the dark figure sighed._

_"Psh. What else is knew?" Li shot back. The dark figure sighed again, and pointed to the gate._

_"The Gate to the Other Side." the dark figure sighed._

_"Other Side..." Li-san muttered to herself._

_"Do I need to show you?" the dark figure asked and snapped it's fingers. Instantly, the door opened and black arms grabbed her arms and legs. She struggled and screamed._

_"NO! LEMME GO! LEMME GO PLEASE!" Li-san wailed in a shrilled shriek as more arms made her covered in darkness as she was pulled into the gate. She was turned to see the black figure, smiling._

_"Have fun." it said with a devil's smile as it waved._

"NOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOO!" Li-san screamed as she shook rapidly.

"Li! Li please calm down we're right here!" Hazel cried as she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder and gasped.

"She...she's so cold...what's going on Ed? I'm scared." Hazel sobbed and Ed started to sweat.

_Li-san was inside the gate, she felt like she was a little kid again. She was 7 again, and she saw images flash through her mind. It was so quick and fast, but then it began to slow down as each picture and image could be seen to her. Her eyes widened, tears flooded down her face. The images were even before she was born! She saw her mother and father, they were so happy. They kissed under the moonlight, her mother's eyes sparkled as her hair was so silky and shiny during the night. Her father was so happy with her, and they continued their kiss. The image went to her mother in the hospital, giving birth to her child... whom she would never be able to share her life with. Li-san sobbed and sobbed as she realized her mother's last words after a farewell kiss to the little forehead of her beloved child: "Love you, baby...don't forget... me..." _

_She screamed madly and wildly, trying to break free from the darkness that held her tight. She couldn't break free, and saw another image, it was of her and Hazel and their parents. It was like they were a family...but just for a short while. It made Li-san cry because of how short their happiness was. Why was it showing her these things now when she already knew? They were so happy...and it all ended because of the military. They had taken their mother and father away from them when they were just little kids, and then they never returned. It ripped her heart in two, knowing her father would never come back. _

_"WHY! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME! WHY!" Li-san screamed._

"WHY!" Li-san roared as she madly started to convulse wildly, having to make Hazel try and calm her down.

"Li please!" Hazel screamed, when would the rest of the village come to help her?

"I'll go see what's going on!" Ed shouted as he rushed out the door. What he saw was the military, not letting anybody leave. "Oh no.." he whispered and rushed over to help. Being hated by the town would be better then to let a friend continue to hurt inside. He ran over and clapped his hands, making the military back away as the villagers were able to break free from their grasp.

"This is EDWARD ELRIC SPEAKING! I'm sure you all know how higher I am in ranks compared to you so listen up! Get the hell out of here, and leave! My friend is in trouble, and what I don't need on my report now is having the military be in the way of something important! Now move and get the hell outta here before I blast you out!" Ed roared.

"That's Edward Elric! The Fullmetal Alchemist! Everyone, fall back! We're leaving!" the military soldier leader called and everyone rushed away. Ed ran over to Armony, Winry, and Eiselstein.

"Edward? You're...part of the military?" Armony asked, shocked. The villagers were silent, all of them had their eyes laid on Ed. Ed was silent, he didn't answer.

"So you're of the state! Get out of here! We don't welcome thugs like you!" a village woman called.

"Ed..does that mean, Li-chan and Hazel are state alchemists too?" Armony asked, and the villagers were shocked. Ed looked up and stared Armony straight in the eyes.

"Armony, there's a time to ask questions, and a time to let them be. We need medical help for Li-san now. Come on..." Ed answered and a doctor followed them to Armony's house, a crowd rushed behind them.

_"Watch...listen...see for yourself..." the dark figure she had seen before whispered in her ear. She watched, and saw how her little self and little Hazel worked so hard, hoping to achieve their mission. At first they tried using alchemy themselves, they got a teacher and worked with him for almost three months. When they were finally skilled alchemists, they fired their mean teacher and were getting all the ingredients for human transmutation. They were so happy when finally they had what they needed. In minutes they'd have their mother and father back with them, and they'd be happy again. They placed their hands on the circle, and it glowed as a twister of bright light happened. She remembered that...and watched in horror._

_"It's working it's working!" Hazel cried, but suddenly...there was a change in pace. The colors turned dark, and cracks of energy whisked past them quickly._

_"Hazel...I don't like this...not one bit.." Li-chan said and then felt something below her. She looked, and her eyes grew wide as her pupils grew smaller in surprise. Something was taking away her legs! What was going on! She turned to Hazel and saw that her friend screamed as the things began to take her arm away._

_"HAZEL! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO US!" Li-chan screamed._

_"I don't know! Something's wrong! Aaaaaaaaaaah!" Hazel screamed in pain as her arm was destroyed, blood began to race down her shirt and onto the ground._

_"Hazel!" Li-chan cried as she tried to rush over to her friend, but then fell to the ground hard and started to scream in pain herself. Her limbs were gone, and she looked as blood began to form a puddle around her. She crawled over to Hazel who walked over to Li, and they looked at what was before them. They thought they had smelled something fowl. Their eyes went wide, and Hazel couldn't believe this! Their mother and father...no, these things were before them, gasping for breath. It also seemed as if they were throwing something up that hurt them inside, something red that glowed as it was spat across the room to a corner of the basement... _

_"H-Hazel...Are they?" Li-chan asked._

_"No they...they can't be they just can't!" Hazel cried, trying not to lose control of herself._

_"Haaaa--zeeellll.." a raspy voice called. The one transmuted soul had golden locks in different places on her head, her limbs and intestines were not where they should've been. Her heart beated rapidly, beating in and out as it seeemed to have grown._

_"Liiiiiiiii..." the other croaked. That one had almost no locks of hair, it's eyes wide and ghost like. Hazel vommited, not even believing what she wa seeing._

_"L-Li...we gotta get outta here...L-Li?" Hazel wondered and saw that, out of shock, Li had fainted. It was then that the two made their way to Rush Valley, not before making sure that the things they had made were dead. Li-san screamed for mercy, as she cried and cried, feeling the pain rush back to her limbs as they started to creak and rust. Instantly, she was back to the start of the gate. Gasping for breath, she saw the dark figure smile._

_"Did you see what you needed to see?" it asked her._

_"You...why did you do that to me!" Li-san screamed, tears down her face._

_"You needed to know, didn't you?" it asked her._

_"Memories like those..aren't meant to be remembered!" Li-san cried._

_"Girls like you shouldn't meddle with the past then." it said to her._

_"Whoever said we were meddling with our past!" Li-san spat._

_"I never said you were. I just know that YOU are. You've come here three times now, and I'm sick and tired of your constant whining. You don't even belong here, don't you realize that?" it said to her as it took a step foward. What did it mean by that! Three times she had visited? She didn't belong in the world? It didn't make sense... Wait! Did this, person know that Li-san and Hazel were not from Fullmetal World but from the Real World!_

_"Wait! Are you saying that you know that Hazel and I are--" she started and then screamed as it came closer and then placed it's hands on her automail legs. She realized he started to take them away!_

_"Wh-what are you doing! No! Those are mine! STOP!" Li-san screamed in pain._

_"My dear, you don't deserve to have these limbs for they belong to me now." it said with a laugh. Li-san could feel her blood rush onto the floor, and she sneered at the dark figure, her eyes became dull and angered. She crawled quickly over to it, making sure that it would pay._

Li-san started to calm down, but then all of a sudden started to scream in rage as she convulsed once more. Hazel tried to calm her down and grasped her arms in attempts so that Li wouldn't hurt anyone. Ed was in the doorway now, the crowd around him gasping in shock and in horror. The doctor rushed to the three. He bent down and took out his stephoscope (sp?). He listened and then felt her pulse just in case.

"Come on Hazel we need to take her home now. Her heart and pulse rate are beating rapidly." he said and took out a needle. He did what he had to, and then slowly injected the dosen into Li so that she would finally settle.

_"Give me those back...I deserve them back!" Li-san hissed as she continued to crawl over to it. Her blood made a trail behind her. Suddenly, she felt a pang in her heart, and started to lose her sight._

_"I think you're out of time. Maybe next time though..." it said with a laugh, and disappeared along with the gate behind him. Li-san swirled in darkness, not knowing where she was. All she knew was that she felt like she was dead...and that nothing mattered anymore... Everything was black, she was nothing...no one was with her, all hope for her was lost...'Is this it? Am I dead? Will I die alone? . . . I-I don't care anymore I..I'm nothing now...' she thought and closed her weary and tired eyes as her mind led her to somewhere, 'peaceful'._

A/N: well, there's chapter 10! the next chapter will be part two by the way since this was part one. the next chapter will also be a key thing since it deals with their 'pasts'. i thank all of my reviewers including: Sweetnevermore, ShadowsofRaven, Fix-it Alchemist, and all u other reviewers out there (or readers either or lol)! and i thank those of u who have put this story on ur favorites list, it makes me happy! -) so, thanks again ev'ryone, reviewers and all! -Em


	11. We're Home? Memories Part II

**A/N:** WARNING! WARNING! THIS IS A VERY LONG CHAPTER! but very descriptive and another **KEY CHAPPIE **too. lol i had no idea i left it at such a bad cliffie, i started to spazz out saying: OMG DID I DO A BAD THING? DOES THAT MEAN THEY DON'T LIKE THIS CHAPTER! AH! lol luckily i had my friend SoR say that leaving at bad cliffie is a good thing when reviewers mention it and all lol so i was pretty okay after that. o yea, li-san won't be in this chapter much until the near end of it. there will be more flashbacks too. o yea, two more things just bear with me plz everyone i need to get this stuff out!

**Demon thing: **... i hope u don't mind, but i am using ur suggestion because it is really awesome! it adds a major twist to the story! (and don't worry the twist won't make this a bad story at least i hope not...NO i promise so everyone who doesn't know demon thing's idea, go to the reviews page to get the sense of what i'm going to do in later chapters lol or just guess urself if u don't like spoilers) and i just luv that idea because the dialouge and everything is just rushing to me! it's giving me excited goosebumps and chills just thinking about it now! hints about ur idea will be mentioned in this chappie! just wanted to let u know so i can get an insight of how u would be okay if i used the idea. if i can, lol much appreciated! don't worry everyone...i know i'm chatting too much but i have to get these things out before i forget! and trust me, u'll want to read these things lol even though they may take up time with this chapter which i apologize for! -bows-

**Apology A/N:** okay i feel so ashamed...in chapter 10 i mentioned something that wasn't supposed to be mentioned until this chapter. again, my friend SoR really helped me when he asked me about it cause it didn't make sense and i literally went all out into a spazz attack on IM lol it was actually pretty funny cause he had no idea what i was spazzing about afterwards. so if u remember something from chapter 10 that is mentioned here, it's cause i messed up in 10. luckily i fixed it and stuff so yea haha lol. to all u readers & reviewers, i have a request that i would like u to answer in a review (if u can). my request will be mentioned when chapter 11 is finished. anyways...enough of my blabbering i just wanted to apologize to u guys since i made a mistake that gave away a spoiler. Happy Reading everyone!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own fma or any of it's characters, but i do own hazel, li-san, ken, and serenity :) yay! i own more characters whoot! lol (finally, on with the chapter! again...sorry for the looong stuff before. HAPPY READING!)

**Chapter 11: Memories... We're Home? Part II**

_Her heart race, head pounding, legs throbbing as she ran through something... She didn't know what, but kept her eyes on the prize. She was small...a little, helpless, weak child. She cried out a name, a name that would never hear her, a name that...no matter how many times she would cry out she would never recieve an answer._

_"Mommy!" the little girl cried. No answer, and yet the girl continued to run... run away from an evil smile that haunted her very soul._

_"Mommy!" the little girl cried again, and still no one had answered. It seemed hopeless, but that was the only name she would call out to, the only one she knew... She tripped over her own two feet and fell to the ground, not willing to get up. She sobbed, darkness was the only thing surrounding her._

_"Mommy..." the little girl wailed softly, wishing that the person who did not exist in her life did give her an answer. Anything, as long as she knew she was safe... as long as she knew there was someone who she could come to, crying all the way for comfort and support. Now though, it all seemed hopeless..._

Hazel entered the quiet room, and tapped the big blue suit of armor on the shoulder. Al looked up, and then sighed heavily.

"Anything?" Hazel asked.

"Nothing.." Al replied with a sad tone. Hazel frowned, and told Al that she would look after Li-san for now. Al declined, and stood up, wanting to stay with her.

"I really...I realized that I really care about her now so I won't leave." Al said with a determined sound.

"Good. I bet Li-san will love to hear that from you when she wakes up soon." Hazel answered, but her reply wasn't as sincere as she wished it was. Already three days passed (this was the morning of day three), and Li-san hadn't woken up from her 'heart attack' from the two days before. Another knock came on the door, and Armony walked in silently.

"Is she doing better today?" Armony asked.

"We're not really certain...I'm just glad that she stopped screaming in pain..." Hazel answered.

"Oh...all right. Ahem..." Armony said and then couldn't help but cough, her gaze was locked with Al's sad ones. Al caught the drift that Armony came in because she wanted to talk to Hazel alone. He walked over to the door, and before he closed the door he said, "I'll be waiting outside. Tell me if anything happens." Armony and Hazel watched as Al left, and Armony sat on the other side of Li's bed. She took a stool and dragged it over to the edge of the bed. The two were quiet, the room grew still.

As Al was outside, he walked downstairs to see everyone look up at him. He shook his head no, and they sulked again.

"Brother..." Al started.

"What?" Ed asked.

"How is it that...Li-san somehow connects with a bit of her and Hazel's past whenever she touches...blood?" Al asked.

"I dunno. Why?" Ed answered.

"It's happened twice now... but this one was much more extreme than the one in StoneRidge Path." Al replied.

"Yeah, you're right...perhaps you and Li-san have more in common than you know." Ed answered and Al kept quiet from then on. From then on there, everyone had questions of their own. Ed had revealed he was of the military, and already the villagers weren't taking that news quite well. How would they react if they now knew that Hazel and Li-san were part of the military as well? Questions flooded into his head, like how could Li-san be connected with blood from her past? It happened to Al once...and it was painful for his little brother too. It was strange... and he finally realized that almost he, Al, Hazel, and Li-san were like the same people. Each losing a loved one, each sacrificing and pushing aside danger labels to get what they wanted, losing a part of themselves, going on a journey that would make their innocence lost and forgotten... He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"What's so funny Ed? I don't think this is a laughing matter." Winry spoke up strictly.

"It's just that...I've just realized that, it's like Hazel and Li-san are just like us... we all have the same past and everything... It's kind of great and, strange to actually have someone that we can relate to, that we can talk about it... that we can cry together, and... try to make it better. It just strikes me as...amazing really." Ed asid and the group became silent once more.

"Hazel?..." Armony asked.

"Yes?" Hazel answered.

"Ed, to make the military go away...he told us he was the state alchemist Edward Elric. Does that mean that...you and Li-chan are in the military as well?" Armony asked. Hazel didn't know what to say... she knew that someday this time would come, but was it now that it would be a good idea? She took in a deep breath, and nodded her head.

"Yes. Li-san and I, we are in the military... We're state alchemists known as the Bullseye and Soulfire alchemist." Hazel answered bitterly. Armony couldn't help but have tears come to her eyes, and she stood up and rushed over to Hazel, letting the tears run down her cheeks with an angered frown on her face. Hazel felt so guilty at this point, and she felt so small and weak...

"Why did you lie to me? After all this time? You've made me worry about you and Li-chan on your journeys... and now it's all just been one big lie? Why?" Armony asked.

"Armony we...we didn't _want_ to lie to you it's just that... if you knew what we tried to do and how we got our automail, you'd probably be so mad and so horrified at us that you wouldn't be our friend anymore. We were only 7 and 8..." Hazel explained.

"Still, lying to me! I would have rather heard the truth!" Armony shouted.

"The truth...you really want the truth?" Hazel asked.

"Yes. I want to know why Li-chan got more automail too. Was she in an adventuring accident, or was it something else? I don't want anymore lies Hazel." Armony warned.

"Okay... Both Li and I, the day where we came back with automail... The night before we had performed alchemy in my basement." Hazel started.

"Oh? How is that bad?" Armony asked.

"You don't understand... and neither did we. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is the most important law of alchemy, known as Equivalent Exchange. Li-san and I, we hid it from you and from uncle... we were so sad when we learned our parents died so long ago, and we wanted to do anything to bring them back. Even doing a most terrible sin... Human Transmutation." Hazel said and Armony's pupils grew to be small in horror. Hazel continued.

"We gave up so little...that we thought, that I thought that blood was the only thing important for a soul... It started life, that was all that mattered to me. When we performed that alchemy, everything went wrong... What we wanted to create back to life, it wasn't worth it. We had created sins, not humans... Nothing, we gained nothing, and we lost much."

"Oh Hazel...I didn't know I...I didn't know..." Armony repeated herself as her tears began to form out of sadness.

"I lost my arm...Li-san her limbs. We told you that it happened during a rockslide in StoneRidge Path because we didn't want you to know...what we did... our sin... We thought it would ruin the last person who cared for us as we cared for you and we... We just couldn't stand to lose someone we cared about so dearly... It would break our hearts to see you hate us." Hazel said sadly and was surprised when Armony gave Hazel a hug.

"No...please don't be sorry. This was always hard for both of you from the very beginning...I didn't understand. I should have, but I didn't. It should be me that's sorry, not you. Everything you've done up to this point, joining the military... I'm sure there is a good reason now." Armony said. Hazel's eye expression became sad, and she closed her eyes as tears ran down her flustered cheeks. When the hug ended, Armony and Hazel wiped away their tears. At this point, Hazel was ready to explain.

"See, Li-san and I after realizing what we had done wrong we promised ourselves we'd never do it again. It was after researching some more alchemy that we found out about the mystical and legendary Philosopher's Stone. We've never really _found_ the stone, but fragments of them. We call them the crimson stones. The only problem, is that the crimson stones usually turn to dust by one touch...so we've had some trouble. Ed and Al, they're like us Armony, in ever way. They are trying to do what we've been searching for for years! That's how we met." Hazel explained.

"You guys stink! You get to travel with two hot guys!" Armony whined teasingly and they laughed. They looked at Li-san sadly then...

"Do you think she's okay? What made her become like this, do you know?" Armony asked.

"I wish I did..." Hazel answered silently. The two decided to have Li-san get some rest alone, and they walked downstairs quietly.

_The little girl; Little Li, opened her eyes and still saw no one. She felt even more scared now, panic began to take over her. She cried, and ran anywhere she could...She wished someone would be there to help her, someone to pull her away from this danger. There was no one...and yet, she felt like someone, people were calling to her. She wondered who... All of a sudden, she heard people calling out her name one by one. She turned around, and saw a small light. Images of people were in front of her, her eyes were wide now._

_One was of a boy who had brown skin and black short hair that was spiky slightly and a little messy. He wore glasses on too and he seemed to be worried (his name: san-kun aka SoR). Another was a girl with short dark dark brownish hair that went to her ears, and she was looking at little Li with sad eyes (her name: abbie). Another had loooooooong blonde _**(sp?)** _hair that went to her waist, her green/blue eyes gave Li a concerned stare (her name: ellen). Another had long curly brown hair in a ponytail, and her hazel eyes seemed stern and pretty concerned as well (her name: jackie). The problem was...in the back of Li's mind she felt like she knew these people... but she didn't recognize them, she didn't know them.. Two more friends appeared, one having dirty blonde hair in a high ponytail (her name: alyssa) while the other had brown hair that was smoothed down to her neck (her name: danielle). They looked at her with worried eyes. They were familiar to her, she could feel some part of her call out to them. Yet...even though they were familiar, they were also strangers. How could that be? How could Li know all of these people, and at the same time have no clue who they were? It was strange...it seemed that two memories seemed to entwine in her mind, making her more confused and aggrivated. What was going on! She couldn't think..these people, they were from the Real World weren't they? She was from the Real World too!..wasn't she?... Everything seemed to be spinning in questions in her mind, and it just made her scream out in fright._

_"WHO ARE YOU! PLEASE! TELL ME! I...I don't want to be alone!" Li had the courage to scream, and at once their backs turned to her and she ran to them, but they continued to be farther and farther away..._

_"NO! PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE! PLEASE!" Li pleaded but suddenly the light faded and she was alone again. She dropped to her knees, and sobbed. Luckily, somewhat, she sat up now and brought her legs to her chest, weeping bitterly with no end. Although she couldn't hear now..there was one more person who called out to her, someone very dear..._

As Hazel and Armony entered Li's living room, they had sad faces. The room was very quiet.

"So?" Ed asked.

"So what?" Hazel answered.

"Any progress?" he asked, being a little more specific. Armony and Hazel shook their heads no.

"I hope she's all right. I wonder what made her act that way..." Eiselstein wondered.

"I...I think I do.." Ed said and everyone turned to him.

"Tell me Ed... I want to know." Hazel said immediately.

"Well...it's happened before... the first time was when we were in StoneRidge Path... She had touched blood, and in that process a flashback... a memory seemed to have come to her. The question is, why?" Ed answered.

"_Why_!" Hazel repeated. She started to steam in rage and in hurt. "Of course that's the question Ed! Damnit all can't you come up with a better answer than that!" Hazel shouted and everyone stared at her. Ed seemed surprised. She turned away from the group, and closed her eyes painfully.

"So...Sorry Ed I... I'm just-...I'm sorry!" was all Hazel could say and rushed out the door. The group wondered what that as about, and Ed and Armony decided to rush off after her. Winry, Al, and Eiselstein decided to look after Li.

Hazel rushed out like a wild animal, running as fast as she could until her legs gave out. She reached the top of a hill, and tried to hide behing a huge tree that seemed to be very old. Already some of the leaves began to fall. She dropped to the ground, and held her legs tightly to her chest as she sobbed. Why? Why was it only Li that had these things?...these...flashbacks? Why couldn't she experience them too? So she would know what it was like...so she could feel the pain her dearest friend was feeling, so she could be the one to say "I know what you're going through" or, "You're not alone in this. You have me too." It was painful, and she felt so weak now. She looked up, trying to calm herself down. She started to laugh, a memory took place...

(a/n: way back in chapter...i think it was 6...anyways, remember how Li asked how Hazel could make Li's day or w/e worse? this will answer that question where she started out: "Remember in winter? When we were little kids and--" it was something like that i can't remember it well and i'm too lazy to go back and look ha! evil smile lol)

_It was winter, and already the snow had fallen. It was the first winter that the two had spent...without their parents. One day, the snow was falling lightly, and Hazel and Li-chan decided to go out and build a snowman with Armony._

_"Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Li-chan said as she stuck out her tongue as snowflakes slowly melted into water. She smiled brightly, and then blew to see her breath._

_"Li, what are you doing?" Hazel asked._

_"Ah wuz tatstings' teh shnow!" Li-chan answered with her tongue still sticking out. Armony and Hazel had sweatdrops._

_"Why don't you make yourself useful and make a head for our snowman?" Hazel snapped. Li-chan frowned and Armony giggled._

_"Meanie head. Fine I'll be able to show off my skills then to Armony! Watch watch!" Li-chan said with a smile as she drew a circle in the snow. She placed her hands on it, and she closed her eyes. The snow around her began to form into a little white ball, and some stones formed as eyes. In an instant, the finished head plopped itself on top of it's body and suddenly, the snowman moved! It did a little dance, and made the three laugh._

_"Li-chan! How did you do that!" Armony asked in amazement._

_"Dunno! But I like it!" Li-chan answered happily. Hazel got a little jealous of the attention Li-chan was getting, and decided to show off her alchemy skills too. She drew a circle, and transmuted a snow spike right behind Li-chan! It crumbled, and the whole pile of snow dropped onto Li-chan._

_"Look look Armony! Li-chan is a snowgirl!" Hazel said and Armony laughed out loud. Li-chan got mad, and formed a snow ball. She threw it with force at Hazel who growled._

_"OH NO YOU DIDN'!" Hazel roared._

_"I think I did!" Li-chan shot back as Hazel chased after her in the snow. Armony laughed so hard she rolled around in the snow. Soon, Hazel made a stone spike that actually hooked itself on to Li-chan's pants. She was stuck now on top. Armony stopped her laughter and rushed over._

_"HAAAAZEL! GEMME DOWN!" Li-chan wailed as bubbly tears rolled down her cheeks._

_"You deserved it! Ha! Ha! Loser!" Hazel teased._

_"HAAAAAAAAAAZEEEELLLLLLLL!" Li-chan wailed even louder._

_"Maybe you should let her down Hazel. "Armony suggested._

_"No way! This is too funny! It's like Li-chan's gettin' a wedgy (sp?)!" Hazel laughed as she rolled on the snow. Li-chan's eyes turned to evil white blank marks as a vein popped above her head._

_"WHEN I GET DOWN HERE YOU ARE SO DEAD MEAT AT DINNER!" Li-chan cried as she waved her arms up and down furiously. She stopped in 'mid-air' asking, "By the way Armony, what are we having?"_

_"AHAHAHA!" Armony laughed. "We're having Daddy's famous soup tonight! It'll even have chicken chunks in them this time! Last time it was turkey. Bleh!" Armony added and Li-chan cheered. She loooooooooved chicken!_

_"NOW GET ME DOOOOOOOOOOWN!" she roared later on. It wasn't until after a while Hazel did so, and from then on Li-chan was always afraid of heights. That was the most embarrassing moment of her life. The funny thing, was that Hazel got Li-chan down **after**__dinner. Almost every person from their town could hear Li-chan wail as she cried, "GET ME DOWN! I'M HUNGRY! I WANT MY CHICKEN! HAZEL! HAZELLLLL! **SOMEONE GET ME DOOOOOOOOOOWN**!"_

Hazel laughed and laughed, her face turned red and she started to cry out of her laughter. Boy did that memory make her calmer, _and_ more hyper.

"Hazel?" a voice asked, and she stopped abruptly to see Armony and Ed, breathing heavily with sweat on their faces. Were they looking for her? They sure had a hard time, that's for sure!

"O-oh..Armony, Ed... How long, how long have you been standing there?" Hazel asked as she brushed herself off and stood up.

"Long enough to hear your laughter that's for sure." Ed answered, concerned. He gave Hazel a stare that had a question around the lines of: "What the hell happened to _her_? Did she get high or something?"

"Sorry...I'm not happy about Li-san and all right now, I was just laughing because of a funny memory that happened is all..." Hazel said, and then frowned.

"Hazel, why'd you run off like that? Is something wrong?" Ed asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder. She shoved him off and walked away from them.

"Nothing's wrong." she answered stiffly and stubbornly.

"It's better to tell us what's wrong then just bottling up your feelings inside. I'm sure that telling us your problem will make you feel better." Armony said calmly, and Hazel cupped her hands over her face as tears began to flow freely.

"It's just that...I don't know why this is happening! I mean...why is it only Li who sees these things! I want to experience them with her, I promised myself that I would share her pain and we would help eachother through! I can't do that though if I can't know what she's going through! Why only her! WHY!" Hazel screamed and Armony gave her a hug as Ed ruffled up her hair a little bit.

"It's okay to feel that way Hazel. I would feel that way too if Al were going through something painful without me by his side too. Maybe it's only happening to Li because of some cause... Whatever that cause may be, we can't find out now. What I do know is that even though you don't know what Li-san is going through, you can still help her through it. You're in pain...and so is she. So really, you are sharing her pain. I bet you anything that she needs you now more than ever." Ed said to her. Hazel's eyes were wide, she felt as if Ed was being a brotherly figure to her. She looked up at him and sniffled with a nod, and the three walked back to Li-san's house. A flashback came to Hazel, and she couldn't help but put on a sad smile. It was the day of their parents burial. They were never able to see their parents after the war, and only sat at their graves for so long. Sooner or later, everyone had left except them. It was sad...and rain started to pour...

_"Hazel...I'm wet, and cold... What are we going to do now? How can we do this? We're only small kids..." Li-chan asked through a wail._

_"We keep on living Li...for them. We're all that we have now of what's left of our 'family', and I intend to keep it that way." Hazel answered and knelt down beside Li-chan, putting a hand on her friend's head._

_"Don't worry. I'm going to be by your side from now on and you'll be by mine. That's how it will work. If you suffer, so do I. If you cry, so will I... And if you laugh, so will I. Together, that's how it will be from now on." Hazel said._

_"Thank you...Hazel I... I promise too that I'll be by your side and that if you suffer so will I, and if you cry so will I. And if you laugh, so will I." Li-chan said with a smile. Hazel smiled._

_"But I must warn you Hazel..." Li-chan said._

_"Hm?" Hazel asked with a question mark on top of her head._

_"If you try to jump out of a window..." _

_"" (Hazel)_

_"I will laugh!" Li-chan teased and Hazel couldn't help but give Li-chan a knuckle sandwhich._

_"Silly! I'd never do that anyways! Baka!" Hazel said playfully. Suddenly, it felt like the day was brighter, and the sun appeared behind the clouds. They smiled, and walked back to Hazel's house. It was after that day that they had decided to train themselves to become better alchemists so they could perform Human Transmutation..._

_'Stupid Li-san, always making a sad situation something to laugh about...that's just like her.'_ Hazel thought with a sad chuckle, and when they reached Li's house they saw Winry, Al, and Eiselstein with frowns on their faces.

"What's wrong?" Hazel asked, alarmed.

"She just hasn't woken up yet." Al said quietly. Hazel decided it was time to have Li wake up for good and she marched up the stairs, confidence rose. Everyone waited in the living room.

Hazel entered the small room, and saw that Li-san still seemed to be the same way she was before. Sleeping, but with something on her mind. Hazel sat down, and sighed as she looked at her friend. She wondered right now what was going on through Li's mind...

_Li stood up, she was tired of crying now, tired of acting so weak and helpless. She seemed to be 14 again, and clapped her hands together and placed them on the floor. Suddenly, in front of her was the gate! No one was around it though...no one could be seen._

_"I know you're here! Come out now!" Li-san commanded, and the black figure appeared before her._

_"You? Again? What are you trying to do to me? Torture me? Fool." it asked her._

_"Back there...you told me that I don't belong here. Does that mean you know about Hazel and me? About...how we're not really, from here?" Li-san asked._

_"What do you think? This is my world, it isn't the world of Fullmetal Alchemist like you call it. I know all, I am the Truth. Remember?" it said to her._

_"Then you could tell me how to get back! We could go home!" Li-san exclaimed._

_"I thought you loved it in Fullmetal World. Being with Al..." it teased and Li-san blushed._

_"Besides the point! I can't remember the transmutation circle I had used back in my basement...can't you help me?" Li-san asked._

_"I could, but I won't. It's for you to remember, don't you think? After all, it was you who put yourself in this situation along with your friend. Now, if you don't mind, would you go?" it asked her and shooed her away. She turned away, but then came back._

_"Wait! The people I met...all of them. Who were they? Why were they so familiar to me and yet I couldn't even remember their names, not even seeing their faces made me remember who they were!" Li-san asked._

_"Dear child...are you really sure about this place? Calling it Fullmetal World? Childish really... you don't remember anything do you now? You really think that you're from the Real World as you so put it? Did it ever occur to you why, if you came to this world from the 'Real World'," it said to her._

_"Well?" Li-san asked._

_"If you came to this world from the 'Real World', did you really want to picture yourself with automail?" it asked her._

_"Well...no not really... It was just there I couldn't prevent that! I mean...sure we came here for fun out of curiousity but... how were we supposed to know that by coming here we'd mysteriously just get automail!" Li-san exclaimed._

_"Perhaps it wasn't a mystery why you have automail... perhaps it is fate as to why you have them. Did you ever think that?" it asked her. She was stunned. Was everything a lie now? What could she believe, who could she trust? What was real, and what was fake? Was Li-san not real in the real world? Was she a fake? Or was it the other way around...who could she turn to now? What would she tell Hazel for that matter! It was all mind boggling, and she didn't have time to think much of it now._

_"Thank you for some information.." she muttered under her breath and the gate along with 'it' disappeared. Darkness was back, but she turned to see a light calling to her. She felt her eyes sparkle, filled with some hope and rushed to it, hoping that perhaps it was someone who she recognized and knew. Although...the people she had seen before, memories about them started to flow in her mind. It was like her visit to The Gate made her memories of her real life come **to life**! 'Real life? What exactly is my real life?... Are the friends I've left in the Real World actually my friends? What about here?...What if the thing from The Gate is right? What if my real life is here, and back there it's just memories that are forged together?...' Li-san asked herself in question as she ran closer and closer to the light that made a path out of the darkness._

Hazel took Li by the hand, and gripped it tight. She gulped, and was ready to talk. "Okay Li, I know you're stronger than this. So wake up soon... I don't know what happened to you, and I can't tell you how horrible I feel right now because I'm not here to really, help. I will do my best though... Li, you and I, we've been best friends both here and in the real world. I don't want something that's not real that happened to you make you like this. You're strong, you can make it. It just...eats me up inside knowing that you're being affected by your other side as I have been too...it's just not fair. Please, wake up soon Li.. I miss you, even Al misses you so much." Hazel said. No reaction...she sighed, but then felt Li's hand grip onto hers. She looked up with hope, but saw that Li didn't wake up. Oh well, it was a start, Hazel knew. With this, she stood up and walked to the door. She turned to face her friend. It was time to let wounds heal themselves.

"Please...All I wish for, all I ask for, is for you to recover soon." she whispered silently and walked downstairs. As Hazel reached the bottom of the steps, she felt like it was too quiet and looked to the living room. No one was there...

"Guys? Where'd you all go?" Hazel asked instinctively, but then thought that something wasn't right. She listened quietly, hoping to hear someone. Nothing came to her, and she walked around the house...alone. She checked everywhere inside, but still no one could be found. She rushed upstairs and entered Li-san's room, and sighed with relief as she saw Li-san still sleeping. She locked the door outside making sure no one could get in, and then went back downstairs.

"I hope Li forgives me for leaving..." Hazel said to herself as she exited the house. She looked up to see something rush up at her! Without any time to react, the _thing_ hit her straight on in the gut, and she felt her vision disappear and turn to darkness...

"Hazel...Hazel! Wake up Hazel!" a voice called harshly to her. As the scene went to Hazel's vision, it was from blurry, to some vision of seeing a boy standing over her.

"Wh-what?...Ed? Where are we?" Hazel asked as she looked around. She then realized she was chained to a stone wall, and so were her friends! She looked around, and couldn't believe what she saw before her! A place where a waterfall could be seen, stones in the lake with green grass all over the place. It was like...a paradise type of thing (a/n: if u've seen the intro of Rewrite, then the place i'm talking about is where Ed jumps off the cliff and then is attacked by the homunculi in a really cool underground place...even though i think that's the place from the fma movie..-sweatdrop-).

"We have no idea...It all happened so quickly, and you were upstairs so, "Armony said quietly.

"That's right! I was wondering why you weren't answering me... Who did this to us?" Hazel asked.

"I'll give you three guesses." Ed hissed.

"Oh no, not the homunculi Lust, Envy, and Gluttony!" Hazel gasped in horror.

"Ooooh yeah." Ed answered.

"And they brought friends too. More homunculi by the names of Greed and Wrath." Al answered sternly.

"Oh great...this is just perfect! What about Li?" Hazel asked.

"She must be still at the house..." Winry answered.

"Uncle, do you know where we are?" Hazel asked hopefully. Eiselstein hadn't said a word yet, and he sighed heavily as he closed his eyes.

"We're underground... A place that was to never exist... I actually stumbled upon it long ago when I was just a teenager. I think, this is where all the homunculi gather. I should know because I once saw...saw something that wasn't human. When I visited this place again, the things that weren't human became something more...better, homunculi." Eiselstein answered.

"Where all the homunculi gather? H-how many are there?..." Hazel asked. _'Is he talking about...what he did to mom?.. To Li's dad?'_ Hazel wondered.

"More than you think..." a voice from above answered. Everyone turned their attention to where a cliff was, right next to the waterfall. Up top was a person with green spiky hair, and next to him was a girl with long black hair, some of her bangs in her eye. Next to her was a bald fat man with white pupils, and beside him were two people. One had spiky dark black/brown hair while the other had looooong black hair, even though he was a boy.

"Envy! What do you want with us! I thought we already made it clear that we won't make the stone for you and your selfish needs!" Ed roared in anger.

"Oh just put a sock in it squirt." Envy said and Ed went into his rage.

"WHO YOU CALLIN' SMALL! I OUGHTTA KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!" Ed screamed.

"Not like you caaaaaaan." Envy taunted.

"Calm down Brother...please. Look up there!" Al cried and the group saw three figures in black cloaks walk up to the homunculi group.

"Wh-who are they?" Hazel dared to ask. The three figures looked up, only their eyes could be seen. One pair was green colored, one was silver colored, and the last was light blue colored... They were slits instead of pupils, filled with anger, rage, and sadness. Every homunculous jumped down to greet all of them, and they walked up slowly. When they were in sight, Envy, Lust, and Gluttony were in front. Behind them were Greed and Wrath, and behind those two were the three people in black.

"Well well Fullmetal, Bullseye." Lust said as she looked from Ed to Hazel. "How nice it is to see you. This is Greed, and this is Wrath." she said and pointed to Greed, the tall man with spiky hair, and Wrath, the boy with looong black hair. Ed's eyes grew wide as he looked at the boy's right arm and left leg. They were...his! He could tell!

"How did you...YOU! How did you get MY arm and leg!" Ed cried in fury. Everyone stared at him in awe.

"Brother! Are you sure!" Al asked in amazement. Wrath only smiled an evil one at that which made eveyone shudder slightly.

"Is that so? I had no idea these were yours... In that case, I want your other arm and leg too! Then I can be human as well!" Wrath smiled an evil grin and laughed as he charged, just to be held back by one of the hooded figures. It shook it's head no calmly to Wrath as he seemed to have settled.

"So..are you all homunculi? There aren't any others...right?" Hazel asked.

"No. There are more of us... One more should be coming soon. It all depends whether he has the time or not. There's also Pride." Lust answered simply. The three hooded figures stood as still as stone, no words came out of their mouths.

"Man...we _really_ need Li..." Ed couldn't help but whine.

Back at Li's house, Li was having a bit of trouble waking up. She couldn't help but try again in her mind with the gate. There was something she still needed to know...and if it knew the answer, then she would be able to figure out what needed to be done, and fast!

_She clapped her hands together, and summoned the gate once more. It seemed pretty easy now, and she called out to it._

_"COME OUT! I'm sorry for bothering you, but there's just one more thing that I must know.." she said and it appeared to her, a frown on it's face._

_"What do you want now?" it seemed to whine._

_"Since you know about Hazel and me, how we're not from this world... Does that mean that others will know the real us?" she asked. She ignored the fact that having two different lifes made it more complicated because now she questioned her own self, and her own memories from this world and from the Real World. She would take care of that part later, even though it was gnawing at her constantly like crazy!_

_"Hm...I'm not sure... I only know about you because you made me know." it answered._

_"What? Made you know?" Li-san repeated._

_"Yes. If you say that you are in a 'show', then you made the plot all along. You made me know who you really are because you need to find a way home..." it answered._

_"It does make sense... You told me that I could possibly well actually be alive in this world and not the Real World! How is it that I'm me, but I have these memories of a fake past? Or are they really fake? What memories are real and what are fake! If we made you know about us, you must know the REAL TRUTH!" Li-san asked._

_"I don't know your real truth. It if for you to decide whether you were born here... or if you were born on the Real Side of the World. Perhaps, if I find out the Real Truth for you I will tell you so you will be no longer confused and filled with mixed emotions." it said to her._

_"Right now though, try to look deep inside yourself to find the answer... You may not know, but your character may have an idea. You just need to remember something in your past that is a key to the fact of how you are connected to me, this gate, and The Truth." it answered and without another word, disappeared. Li-san pouted, but she was glad she was able to get some more answers._

_"Look into my past huh? Okay...I'll try..." Li-san said to herself and thought real hard. Images came to her mind, of her birth, her life with Hazel, and then the day of the transmutation..._

_"HAZEL! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO US!" Li-chan screamed._

_"I don't know! Something's wrong! Aaaaaaaaaaah!" Hazel screamed in pain as her arm was destroyed, blood began to race down her shirt and onto the ground._

_"Hazel!" Li-chan cried as she tried to rush over to her friend, but then fell to the ground hard and started to scream in pain herself. Her limbs were gone, and she looked as blood began to form a puddle around her. She crawled over to Hazel who walked over to Li, and they looked at what was before them. They thought they had smelled something fowl. Their eyes went wide, and Hazel couldn't believe this! Their mother and father...no, these things were before them, gasping for breath. It also seemed as if they were throwing something up that hurt them inside, something red that glowed as it was spat across the room to a corner of the basement..._

_That was it! Li-san remembered... It was after the two had come back from Rush Valley and had told Uncle about their sin. After that, the two went to the basement and prayed for forgiveness, hoping that their new journey to find the Philisopher's Stone would make at least something right. It was also right before the two moved in with their uncle and with Armony. _

_"I'm going to go upstairs and fix up some dinner. Okay?" Hazel said._

_"Okay. I'm gonna stay down here for a few more seconds..." Li-chan answered._

_"Suit yourself." Hazel said with a shrug and walked upstairs. Li-chan closed her eyes, and prayed again. The day after telling their Uncle what they had done, the things seemed to be taken care of quickly. Li-san opened her eyes, and got off of the floor. She dusted herself off, and then noticed something sparkling. She curiously went over and picked up the stone. _

_"Pretty..." she said to herself and then went over to pick up a little pouch. She opened it up and placed the stone inside. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw some more sparkling stones. She picked them up, and placed them in the bag as well. When she had at least a small bag full, she noticed one more that wouldn't fit. Being Li (lol), she sniffed it a little and wondered if it tasted good. She gave it a lick, and then plopped it in her mouth and chewed the hard stone. She gulped it down, and waited for a second. _

_"Bleh! YUCK! It tastes horrible! It tastes like spinach and who else knows!" Li-chan finally said as she stuck her tongue out. Oh well, at least she knew not to eat them anymore. She decided not to tell Hazel of the pretty stones she found, and hid them under her shirt and rushed upstairs to her house._

_"I'll be right back!" she said and rushed out the door. When she was in her own room, she put the stones in her drawer all the way in the back for safekeeping. After that she went back to Hazel's, ate some dinner, and then rushed upstairs to Hazel's bathroom after she had a bad stomach ache..._

_"Of course! SO that's why! Eating the red stone made me connected with the gate! With everything!... I can't help but think no matter how hard I try I still can't figure out who I am now..." Li-san said to herself with a snap and then pouted. Suddenly, she saw a light up ahead and rushed to it, running as fast as she could. She still hadn't forgotten about her hope, and getting out of this 'dark place', and she saw an image. At first, it was of a woman with long black hair and light brown eyes smiling at her._

_"Mother?..." Li-san wondered, tears came to her. The figure didn't answer, but had her arms stretched out to give Li a hug. Li-san thought it was too good to be true, but instead of seeing her mother...the figure changed to show Hazel, smiling at her. It was when that Li-san realized how important Hazel was to her... How Hazel had always been there, how at almost all points in her life Hazel was like the other she never had. It was strange, but it made Li-san feel so happy when the light began to be brighter and brighter until Li-san's hands grasped on to Hazel's. In an instant, a vision came to Li! She was in a place with a waterfall, grasslands around her. The stream was so clear, and on top was a cliff that led to the top of a hill. Li-san felt that this place was very familiar, and she saw that the bottom was connected to the path outside of Iron Town!_

Li-san shot up from her bed, sweat running down her face as she breathed in heavily. She looked around at first cluelessly, and then remembered the vision she had right after the light disappeared. She wondered where Hazel and everyone else was, and she put a hand on the doorknob. Before she left though, she opened her drawer and took out the small pouch that was all the way in the back. She blew off some of the dust, and found that the stones had never faded into dust. She reluctantly picked up one of the smaller stones, and chewed and swallowed it. She had a twisted look of disgust on her face, but was able to not throw up. She put the bag in her pocket, and walked over to the door. As she tried to open her door though, it was locked!

"WHAT THE HELL! OPEN!" Li-san roared and then sighed. She went to her window, and opened it up. She gulped, and jumped.

"CHURANAMOOO!" Li-san shouted and landed with a thud. (a/n: i know what Li shouts is not spelled right...i just don't know how to spell it -sniffles-) She got up quickly and rushed off. _'Boy am I GLAD I have automail now!'_ she thought and at top speed rushed off to where her friends needed her the most.

Hazel, Ed, Al, and everyone else stared at the homunculi before them.

"Why are those three hooded? What do they have to hide!" Ed spat.

"Do you really want to know?" Envy asked challengingly.

"HELL YEAH!" Ed answered.

"Are you sure, Fullmetal? Or you, Bullseye? Or you, Alphonse Elric? Do you think you can handle it?" Lust asked with a smile.

"YES!" Ed answered.

"Now wait just a minute Ed/Brother we never said!-" Hazel and Al started, but Lust snapped her fingers and the three hooded figures let their hoods fall to their shoulders. Ed, Al, and Hazel's eyes grew wide in fear, their pupils grew smaller. In front of them, it seemed as if Trisha Elric, Ken Yamanaka, and Serenity Manson were standing before them. The one who looked almost like Trisha had her hair smoothed, and _mysteriously_ (not really for us lol) looked like the Fuhrer's secretary Julia Douglas! The one who resembled Serenity Manson had long golden hair now with one strip of brown getting in front of her right eye. The last one, who resembled Li-san's father Ken Yamanaka, still had his hair spiked up just a little, but a chunk of bang loomed slightly over his eyes. All of their eyes...they were dull and lifeless even though they stood before their children.

"No..NO it can't be!" Ed shook his head in shock.

"It..It is! It's them! Ed it can't be though, but how!" Hazel gasped in horror.

"Brother...I think, I think I know!" Al gasped. Ed and Hazel turned to him. Before Al could answer though, the three walked over.

"So...Envy who are these homunculi supposed to be?" Ed had the courage to ask.

"Well, this one is Sloth," Envy started and pointed to the brunette. "And that one is War," he continued and pointed to dark haired guy. "And this one is Hate." Envy finished as he pointed to the golden blonde. Everyone was speechless, and Gluttony jumped in front of them.

"Can I eat them Lust? Can I please?" Gluttony pleaded.

"Start with whoever you want to, be my guest." Lust said with a shrug and Gluttony's eyes lit up. He walked over to Armony, and she started to scream.

"ARMONY!" Eiselstein roared.

"NO!" everyone else shouted. As Gluttony neared closer, he was blasted away by something!

"HOT! HOT! HOT!" Gluttony yelped as he jumped into the water to have his behind not on flames. Everyone looked up to see someone appear from the shadows! The homunculi saw the shadowy figure to be Li!

"LI! JUST IN TIME TOO!" Everyone cried happily. Li-san had a smirk on her face, and she winked with a thumbs up!

"DADADADAAAAAAAA! LI-SAN HAS ARRIVED!"

**Me: **Okay, i had planned that this chapter had Izumi Curtis in it, but unfortunately being the author as i am i had a little run in with some characters if u will near the end of this chapter...they burst through my studio requesting to--well, not requesting but demanding to see me and had me put up my story and demanded to be in another chapter and i sorta couldn't refuse so they were mentioned in the last bit of this chapter and right now i am dangling from the ceiling and -mmmph!- (has tape around mouth to shut me up)

**Envy:** That's right everyone. The homunculi are back.

**Lust:** We just couldn't have our little author not mention us ever again now could we? (lust's fingers extend to be right next to Emiie's throat)

**Me:** o.O mmph!

**Lust:** Just to tell you, in the next chapter all of the homunculi shall be mentioned. As you have seen from the last part in this chapter, we all arrive with special guests Wrath, Greed, Sloth, and Pride. As you can tell: Hate and War are not real homunculi.

**Hate:** I'm really just a nurse back in the Real World, but it's just a pleasure being in this story!

**War:** And I'm really just someone who is a karate master. Come stop by my dojo some time in Hong Kong! (Lust walks over to Em and lets the tape on her mouth unravel)

**Me: **Okay i will say that Hate and War aren't really in the Real World actually they are just my OC...heh...anyways, yea what they said really. So in the next chapter, the homunculi will be mentioned once more and we will be in an epic and VERY DESCRIPTIVE (it's rated T for blood if u like action and really really awesome battle scenes that have blood in them) battle and stuff and we will defeat the homunculi and 'kill' them so they can rest in peace and stuff. o yea and i will say that near the end of the chapter, something 'bad' will happen to make hazel and li-san (me and swn) have to tell the truth! o.O find out what happens in the next chapt-mmph! (envy puts tape back on)

**Pride:** Excuse me, but did you say we get defeated? o.U (the U is supposed to be his eye patch by the way) I only get to be mentioned once. T.U (again, U is eyepatch lol)

**Envy:** Hey! You never said that you would kill us in the next chapter! That wasn't in the script! CHANGE IT NOW! (points an angry waving finger at EmiieRoxs)

**Me:** -smirks and snickers- MMPH!

**Lust: **What's that? Oh... she says 'too bad you will be defeated in the next chapter that is what will happen if you want to be mentioned again'. Oh yes, she also says to please leave a review so she know if you liked this chapter or not. she was feeling emotional and dramatic actually for part one and two (chapters 10 and 11) Also she has a request for all of you readers and reviewers. She tells me that she has a power already for Hate, but she can't think of one for War. It would be appreciated if u could, in a review, give her a suggestion for War's mysterious powers since she can't think of anything besides copying off of Kimblee and his bombs, and Scar and his killings, and so on. It would be helpful so if u have any ideas, she will gladly take them'.

**Gluttony:** Can I eat her now Lust? (mouth starts to dribble)

**Lust:** Not now Gluttony. After she writes chapter 12, then sure you may. But now she must type the next chapter! Now! Do it you fool!

**Me:** Mmph! (tape is taken off). Again, please leave a review...and now i will start chapter 12 before gluttony eats me! o.O T-T -Em


	12. Final Battle With The Homunculi!

A/N: WARNING WARNING yet another long chapter...it's 30 pgs long o.O anyways, here's the most amazing most actiony most violent (at least what i can come up with) sorta battle with the homunculi! i guess i would rate it... in manga form cause i never do theater ratings... T+ rated for 14 years or older. yes, we came to an agreement that gluttony couldn't argue with... _Flashback:_

**Me:** Th-there! Done with the chapter!  
**  
Gluttony:** Now I can eat her, right Lust? (lust nods as gluttony walks towards me)  
**  
Me:** W-w-w-wait Gluttony! I'll make you an offer you can't refuse! I'll...If you don't eat me I'll take you out to an all you can eat buffet! You can have whatever you want and stuff there! It has all kinds of food including...including meat!

**Gluttony: **. . . Ooooo meeatt... okay. I won't eat you. TAKE ME OUT TO RESAURANT NOW!

**Me:** O-okay here we go!

A/N: yes...that is how gluttony didn't eat me. unfortunately he cost me 1145 dollars T.T i was not happy that day... anyways, here's the most awesome battle against the homunculi! plz leave a review to tell me how u liked this action packed fights, and u'll make me happy ;) lol. Happy Reading everyone!

**The Dreaded Disclaimer:** I don't own fma or any of it's characters. however i do own hazel, li-san, hate, and war :) Happy Reading!

**Chapter 12: Final Battle With The Homunculi**

"LI!" everyone called happily as they saw her up top.

"Not that little pest!" Envy sneered. Every homunculous stared daggers at Li, and she just looked at the man with the black hair... She felt a little threatened at first, but then gulped it down with some more red stones. She could feel some alchemic power flowing through her, and she made a little peace sign.

"OH YEAH! THE AMAZING MOST FANTASTIC ALCHEMIST HAS ARRIVED! LI-SAN THE GREAT! LI-SAN THE SOULFIRE ALCHEMIST!" Li-san couldn't help but say.

"LI GET YOUR **ASS DOWN HERE **AND **BREAK US FREE **BEFORE **I BREAK FREE **AND **KICK YOUR ASS**!" Hazel raged, veins popping. Li-san had sweatdrops, and obeyed.

"BONZAI!" Li-san cried and landed on her two feet. She couldn't help but show off again and smiled, she wanted to put on a show for the homunculi. As she quickly had landed, she steadied herself on one foot and did more peace signs. After that her arms were out and she couldn't help but laugh as the homunculi and the group stared at her cluelessly. She continued to smile, and then her eyes grew small as she started to tip! Her arms waved up and down furiously as she tipped over farther.

"WAAaaaaah!" she cried and fell to the ground with a thud. Everyone had sweatdrops.

"What exactly was the point of that?" Envy wondered as his eyes narrowed in confusion. Li-san stood up once more and sweatdropped more as Hazel started to rage and had flames around her!

**"LIIIIIIIIIII!"** Hazel yelled and Li-san quickly went to work as more sweatdrops fell. She also felt something inside her make her more powerful. She stood up, and clapped her hands together. Alchemic power coarsed through her veins, and the alchemy light could be seen like crackles of lightning. She placed her hands on the ground, and powerful alchemy spikes erupted from the ground as it made the homunculi jump out of the way to somewhere safer. Li-san clapped her hands again and transmuted her legs to become faster. She ran up and destroyed all of the chains that held everyone hostage, and then fired her canon at the homunculi. They scattered far enough for her to burst into tears of joy, saying how great it was to see Hazel again!

"OH HAZEL THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE OKAY!" Li-san sobbed.

"Okay...Li...you're...crushing me!..." Hazel gasped for breath. Li-san let go of Hazel quickly and then both got into position. Ed and Al joined while Armony and Eiselstein rushed to somewhere safe.

"Li! There's something you need to know! Those two in the black...they're--"

"Your mom and my dad... I know. Let's put them to rest Hazel..." Li-san interrupted and Hazel nodded.

"Hey! Don't forget about us. WE still have a score to settle with them too." Ed said and everyone nodded. They made sure that Armony and Eiselstein were in a safe place, and once they were it was off to face the homunculi in a battle that would decide everyone's fate.

"Well well..it seems that every one of them wants to fight us. Don't you think they're outnumbered though? I mean, it's seven to four. They have alchemy, while we have supernatural powers." Envy said with a smirk.

"We won't know if we just stand here. Come on." Lust said and charged at full speed, her nails extending. As Al and Li-san were on one side, Ed and Hazel were on the other. Lust charged at both sides and struck! Al and Li-san, after dodging the attack were faced up against Wrath. Al wanted to face this child, who seemed to have Ed's arm and leg! He wanted revenge, and Li-san could feel it. She clapped her hands and placed them on the ground. She first made a shield, and gave it to Al as she created for herself two daggers.

"It's time to get back what my brother deserves!" Al cried and charged.

"Oh! So you plan to take away what he gave to the Gate now are you? Please! Once I'm through with you then I'll be able to kill your brother and take whatever is left of him! His leg, his arm, his body! All of it will be mine and I'll finally become human!" Wrath laughed as Al punched, kicked, and practically thrusted himself at his opponent!

"You sick, twisted kid! You think just attatching human legs and arms will make you human! You're wrong!" Li-san roared and it was her turn to attack. She punched and slashed back and forth, making Wrath jump further away. Finally, when he was backed into a wall Al stood behind of Li.

"Here we go!" Al said and grunted as he launched Li-san toward Wrath who made himself in a defensive position. (a/n: what li-san does next, she does it like what azuma from the show naruto does with his twin daggers, so i give credit to him) She had her arms in an X shape over her chest and when the right time would come she would strike.

When Lust had struck and seperated the group, Ed managed to dodge completely but Hazel got a little cut on her cheek.

"You okay Hazel?" Ed asked, concerned as the two ran.

"Fine! It feels just like a paper cut but worse!" Hazel answered and clapped her hands. Ed wondered if she was either being sarcastic or just saying, so he just ran with her until she did something different to make him come to a hault. Hazel swerved (sp?) around to face Lust and placed her hands on the ground to make a long sword plus a bow and arrow once she clapped two more times. She threw the sword to Ed who mouthed a thank you and she loaded her bow and arrow.

"HEY LUST! EAT THIS!" Hazel roared and the arrow flew like a torpedo! As Lust turned around it was too late to dodge the incoming weapon. She tried to shield herself with her claws but it was at the last moment, which made no affect at all. It hit Lust straight in the middle of the forehead and suddenly, Lust started to moan in pain! The arrow had a transmutation circle on it's tip, and began to slowly transmute the homunculous. She writhed in pain and crumpled to the ground as blood splurted out of her wound, and finally making a puddle beside her. Gluttony rushed to her side, and in his anger, his eyes lit up in rage.

"YOU! YOU HURT MY LUST! NOW YOU WILL SUFFER!" Gluttony roared.

"Here comes fatso! Get ready Hazel!" Ed said and Hazel nodded. He charged at full force with the alchemic sword Hazel had given him.

"NRAGH!" Ed roared and the sword rushed through Gluttony's stomach, blood was on the other end as some began to drip down his black shirt. Gluttony looked cluelessly at his injury while Ed took the weapon out quickly and backwards flipped (a/n: like he does in the fma games) to where Hazel stood. This made Gluttony more angered, and he charged foward blindly. Meanwhile, Lust was finally able to control herself as she took the arrow out of her head, her eyes in their evil purple slit stage.

As Li-san flew straight at Wrath with her arms on her chest like an X shape, she got close enough to strike! Wrath, as he protected himself only got a sliver of skin cut by her two daggers. He laughed as Li-san's attempt was a failure...or was it! NO! Li-san had been charging at the wall the whole time as she was able to use her legs to bounce back and to Wrath! Wrath was surprised at this, and watched as Li-san came closer and closer before her blow could go straight through him!

"NO!" he cried out like a little lost kid.

"HERE WE GO!" Li-san roared and charged. She struck, and Wrath had been saved! By who!

"No one hurts this little one, not while I'm here." the homunculous, Sloth said calmly as Wrath felt a sense of calmness return. In her watery hands were Li-san's daggers, and right arm up to her elbow. Li's eyes went wide in slight fear.

"M-mom?..." Al couldn't help but stutter.

"Your mother?" Li-san repeated and looked at the homunculous before her. Sloth was staring at Al with dull eyes that were lifeless and cold.

"Alphonse..Come to mother." Sloth said with her arms open wide.

"NO AL! IT'S A TRAP STAY AWAY!" Li-san roared but Al didn't listen as he took a step foward. When he was right next to Sloth and Li-san, all at once Wrath came from behind and kicked both Li and Al away to the ground. They rolled off in the distance, and Al was able to regain himself as he looked at Li-san who was on the floor. She was knocked out.

"Oh no...Li!" Al cried in horror as he looked up to see Wrath looming over him.

"Now where were we?" Wrath asked and kicked Al further! He was going to go for Li-san next, but a strong grip took hold of him on the shoulder. Wrath turned to see War.

"No. I will rage war against this one. I deserve to." War said monotonously. Wrath looked up at War with beady eyes, and then they changed.

"Fine. I'll go against Alphonse. I'm sure taking over his armor will be a cinch." he said and Al got into fighting position. As Wrath stood before him, Sloth was next to him. Al stopped his position, and his guard dropped.

"She...she looks just like her... In every way...Brother..what do I do?" Al whimpered as he tried to stay focused. That's right, he would be getting back his brother's arm and leg from that homunculous Wrath.

"RAAAAAAGH!" Gluttony cried as he charged full force, his mouth wide open as his eyes glowed their white glow and his mouth opened with an evil grin and a laugh. Ed was knocked to the side as his sword de-transmuted to nothing, and Hazel jumped out of the way. As she dodged Gluttony she loaded another arrow and fired. Bullseye right? Close...but not quite. Gluttony had caught the flying arrow as it sank into his hand. He ripped the arrow out as the wound began to heal itself, and fired it back at Hazel. Her eyes bulged and as the arrow came at lightning speed to her she dodged in the nick of time just to have a little bit of stringed hair fall to the ground. When Hazel was near the ground from her flight up top, Gluttony immediately turned around and charged back! Caught off balance, Hazel lost her footing and twisted her ankle. She collapsed on to the ground and grunted as she looked at Gluttony coming straight at her! She closed her eyes shut and then heard Gluttony scream in pain. Hazel opened them to see Ed's automail hand in it's sword mode, blood poured down from it and on to the hard ground. Hazel looked up as her eyes went wide in fear. Ed's automail arm had shot through Gluttony's mouth, the point on the other side.

"Hang on Gluttony!" Lust said as she used her swift moves.

"Ed look out!" Hazel cried and clapped her hands, placing them on the ground. A spike grew and it hit Lust square in the chest! She flew up and sliced the spike back down and gave Hazel a deadly gaze. Ed kicked Gluttony off of his automail and rushed over to Hazel and Lust.

"HAAAAAZEL! OOF!" Ed cried and all of a sudden was kicked away by a powerful thrust! Hazel and Lust looked to the source, and found it was from Hate! Her eyes were glowing pure red, and her fist started to glow as dark colors swirled around it. She threw a punch at Ed, and all the negative energy hit him square on and he fell back backwards.

"Ed!" Hazel screamed and ran to Ed's side. Hate's eyes went from Ed's, to Hazel's. When she had locked her gaze on Hazel, Hazel froze, a shiver began to rush down her spine. She shivered slightly, her eyes were turned to small slits of fear as she turned to face Hate. Images flashed for her, painful ones of the transmutations. Of what Hate and War were before they were homunculi. It made her back away in fear. Hazel dropped to her knees, shaking all over.

"St-stay away!" Hazel screamed. Why! Why of all times did she have to be so scared? So...weak? Here she was, holding everyone back as they fought bravely as she just cowered in fear. She hated that feeling, she wished it would just rot in hell. Hate walked over to Hazel, a strange glimmer could be seen in the corner of her cold eyes. Hazel's widened eyes turned to stern ones, filled with rage and anger. _'No more! I'm not running away anymore! I'm going to help...I'm going to be strong! Hate is my creation...she's my mom...I need to do this myself, and the only way to do that is to fight her alone! I have to! I just have to...I have to make her finally rest in peace for good...'_ Hazel thought and blinked, ready to fight. Before that though, Ed was able to regain himself, and saw the situation. He got on his feet and rushed to Hazel's aid. _'No! ED DON'T!'_ Hazel thought as she knew what Ed would do to save her.

"HAZEL!" Ed roared and clapped his hands creating his famous dragon spear! He rushed foward, and Hate shot him a deadly glare. She extended her hand, and it began to glow purple, red, and black. Ed had sweat rolling down his face as he charged, and at the exact moment Hate's energy blast wave shot he jumped up. The wave disappeared, and siezing the moment Ed made his fall faster as he then sliced down, full force! Sparks and mechanical parts shot up through the air, and a painful scream could be heard as circuits could be heard crackling and breaking.

War took a few more steps foward to Li-san who wearily began to open her eyes painfully. She looked up weakly to see a dark figure stand in front of her. Her eyes went wide as she jumped up and was ready to fight. She gulped as she was face to face with her creation... with War. His eyes were small, beady, filled with destruction and with the need to have blood shed.

"Well now, I never thought I would be face to face with you. Li." War said to her and took a step closer as he extended a hand to touch her face. She immediately slapped it away, and he only gave her the same monotonous stare. That same look of determination and of hatred.

"Don't even try to act all fatherly like just to make me vulnerable!" Li-san instinctively cried as she took a step backwards.

"Act? I'm not acting. You yourself should know that the homunculi here _are_ who they _were_." War said to her.

"Why don't you just...attack me already? Isn't that what you want to do? Kill me because I created you?" Li-san asked warily.

"This _creature_ wants to kill you. With all of it's strength, with all it's my power, and with all of it's hatred." War said through a hiss. Li-san looked at War with a confused look on her face. This creature? What did he mean by that? As he loomed over her more she began to shrink a little.

"Then..then why don't you get it over with? Why did you wait for me to regain conciousness when clearly you could have killed me right then and there?" Li-san cried.

"Because Ken Yamanaka couldn't. Don't you understand? We are who we were... Even if I did kill you, I'd be realizing that I would be killing my daughter, my treasure." War said to her.

"Does Hate...feel that too?" Li-san asked.

"Perhaps. She is Hate, it is hard to tell. I am more mature I guess..." War answered.

"Then really...everyone here they're... in a way, real people?" Li-san asked. War nodded monotonously and walked over to her as he put a strong hand on her shoulder. A sudden surge of power seemed to transfer over to him, he seemed to be seeing visions of sort. Visions that overwhelmed him in the process. He saw himself, staring down at a little baby in her arms with a tearful smile. How warm this child felt, and soft... It made him so happy. The years went by and he watched her grow, and finally he watched as he saw her cry with a wave of goodbye saying, "Come home soooon!"

Li-san also visions, but they were of her father during the war, and after it. He was fighting, so bravely to win against the opposing force. Saving comrads that were supposed to be left on the battlefield to die. All of a sudden as he went to retrieve another comrad, a shot behind him went through his back. He was shocked, it happened so quickly. He fell to the ground, a puddle of blood began to form. He couldn't help but smile and say as his final words, "Goodbye Li...I'll miss you.. Be good for me..." Li-san began to have tears form in her eyes. It went to that day, after Li-san and Hazel left to go to Rush Valley. Eiselstein had found the creations, barely alive. He brought them here... left them here. Someone revived them, formed them into what they were. She saw how War treated his enemies, killing everyone in sight. Even little children with no mercy. How cold his eyes were, and yet they were filled with sadness and rage... She finally understand what he was telling her...all of it. She snapped out of the visions as War did the same, and the two stared at eachother. War was the first to speak.

"I do not wish to fight, though my name may say that I do. It is...strange. At first, after I had eaten the red stones and took on my human form, I had so much rage inside that the only way I could cure it and sustain it was to slaughter everyone I met. Anything that would shed blood and die. I started to kill those around me, got into little rages I couldn't get out of. It was a little girl I had killed with my powers that I realized how she resembled you, my creator. If that is what I would have to do to my creator, to my daughter... Then-"

"War! What are you doing chatting with the enemy! Do you need help finishing her off?" an aggrivated voice asked. The two turned to see Envy as he had his hands on his hips with his pissed off look. War turned to Li-san, and had a sad look in his eyes.

"Forgive me." he said and suddenly he cracked his knuckles and pressed his hand harshly on Li's stomach. There was an awkward silence, and Li's eyes became surprised slits as she felt a great force as it seemed to have made it's way to her insides. It felt strange, and she felt like her insides were about to burst! A surging pain erupted, and all at once a crushing forced pushed her back, making her drive herself into the ground as she dropped all the way down and rolled across. The bag with the stones managed to escape from her pocket as it flew across the ground to an area where only time would tell when someone spotted it. She felt like one of her ribs had been broken from the harsh fall and from the crushing force, and blood started to trickle down her mouth. She looked up and stood up slowly.

"Apologize? For what? I'm just getting started." Li-san said and couldn't help but smile as she held up her left hand, the mini cannon rose.

"Oh great...next time War leave the job to someone who can actually handle it." Envy said with a bothersome look and War said nothing.

Ed was stunned. What had he done! It was so quick, he didn't even realize what had happened until the accident occurred. Standing before him was Hazel, her left arm had been destroyed. The automail had been bent, broken, crushed, demolished... The circuits and wires hung as some sparked uselessly.

"H-Hazel...why did you...why did you do that?" Ed asked, bewhilderment took over. Hazel bit her lip, fighting through tears. It would hurt even worse when she'd need new automail..attatching the nerves always made her cry.

"Ed don't... This is my fault... It's my responsibility. I'm the one that made Hate...so it should be my job to defeat her. It's my responsibilty, and I'm going to help her reach peace in the afterlife. Even if that means not getting any help from you." Hazel said through a whimper. Lust and Gluttony watched from behind, and Gluttony had to be held back by Lust. Hate was even more surprised than Ed.

"So, you have honor. Good. WE will fight then, and fight to the death we shall." Hate said to Hazel.

"Hate...Am I.. something to you? And are you something to me? I can't help but feel..._her_ prescence..." Hazel asked, hoping to not have to fight Hate. She really just wanted to make peace... Hate was taken aback by this, and only rage consumed her. She used her attack, and two energy waves were sent. Hazel jumped and protected herself as she landed wobbily.

"YOU! SOMETHING TO ME! RIDICULOUS! YOU'RE NOTHING TO ME! WHY SHOULD I BE SOMETHING TO YOU, WHEN I AM JUST A MERE OUTER SHELL OF A SOUL THAT YOU WERE SO FOOLISH TO TRY AND BRING BACK! I'LL KILL YOU!" Hate roared, her anger got the better of her. Hazel closed her eyes, and with what was left of her automail (it was hanging by wires and all that stuff) she used her human hand to clap onto her automail one and created a mini sword/knife.

"I don't want to fight you...No matter what you're still my mom." Hazel said.

"SHUT UP!" Hate spat angrily. Hazel charged at Hate, and during their battle sparks flew. Ed didn't know what to do. Was he supposed to help Hazel, fight Lust and Gluttony...what was he supposed to do!

"Hey! Are you Edward Elric?" a voice asked. Ed turned to see he was faced against Lust, Gluttony, and the new guy with the spiky hair, jeans, and jacket with white fluffy stuff on the rim of the collar.

"Who the hell wants to know?" Ed challenged.

"I'm Greed. I got sick and tired of waiting so I decided to fight you now since I have the chance. What do you say Fulletmal? Let's get down to the fight how about?" Greed asked with a fang's smile. Ed returned it with a grin.

"I thought you'd never ask." he answered and the two rushed at eachother with such force that a single punch could send both flying backwards!

Envy just stared at the cannon Li-san held up to them.

"What's that? A play toy? Sorry sister but that's not going to work against me." Envy said with a smile. War didn't say a word.

"Wanna bet? This was made by Winry-san, and her automail rules! Aim and fire!" Li-san said back and the bomb went flying. Envy transormed into an entity that only absorbed the bomb as it blew up inside. Li-san watched as Envy changed back, shocked.

"See? I told you." Envy said with a grin and a wink.

"Well...I'm only getting started!" Li-san countered and clapped her hands, transmuting a spear of her own. She rushed at Envy with full force, but War got in the way! Her attack was caught in War's hands, and he actually transmuted her weapon into something of his own! He took it from her and she back flipped to have some distance.

"War, why don't you leave this to me? You weren't capable of killing her before. Let me have a shot at it." Envy said and transformed as he went straight foward at Li. She made contact with Envy and pierced his stomach when he transformed into Hazel! Li's eyes went wide.

"Why...Li?" 'Hazel' asked, a painful look on 'her' face.

"No...you can't trick me Envy! It won't work!" Li-san cried, wiping away the fact that Envy transformed into her best friend. 'Hazel' frowned, and this made Li fling 'her' across the ground. Li-san watched and then saw her pouch, in the open! If the homunculi spotted that it'd be all over. She rushed to it blindly, forgetting that Envy was still charging at her. She lunged on the ground and was able to grab on to the pouch, making sure the stones were still there. They were and she sighed with relief, and then shivered when she saw a shadow behind her. She turned to have Envy sit on her stomach, forcing her to stay put in her position.

"What's this?" Envy asked and took the pouch away from Li.

"GIVE IT BACK!" she cried and with her free arm she gave a swing. Envy dodged, and looked inside. His eyes grew wide.

Red stones! These can inhance my powers...heh." he said and took a few. He chewed and swallowed, and then threw the bag aside as more red stones dropped. He seemed to have grown some muscles, and couldn't help but grin evily with a crazed stare. She was able to get him off and rush to the bags, all to be knocked back by Envy who had tackled her to the ground.

"Not so fast. I think I'll hold on to these." Envy said as he changed his mind. Li-san clapped her hands and a spike impaled Envy as blood dripped down from his wound, dripping onto the ground. She rushed to the bag and grabbed it while snatching all of the red stones. She placed them back in the pouch and then tucked it safely in her pocket, making sure it wouldn't fall out.

"No way. They're mine so back off Envy!" Li-san shouted and Envy growled under his breath.

"How did you get red stones in the first place huh?" Envy asked with a narrowed eye look.

"None of your business. And just so you know, your tricks won't make me lose this battle so it'd be best to not transform into anyone at all!" Li-san added and rushed at Envy with a weapon she had transmuted in her hands. Envy dodged as Li-san thrusted each of her attacks straight to Envy.

"You'll only make yourself tired kid, give it up." Envy said and punched her directly under the chin. She fell backwards, but regained herself quickly. _'Damn it all... If I want dad to rest in peace, Envy's gonna have to be out of the way... I don't want to waste any more red stones either! There's at least seven more in the bag...if I take another one I think I'll be able to get rid of Envy, and then destroy War once and for all so he can move on through the gate... Here goes..'_ Li-san thought and took another red stone and ate it. It was there, she felt alchemic power once more surge through her veins, and she charged at Envy with such a force it knocked him back.

"It's time to put you in your place!" Li-san roared and transmuted a two bladed sword as she charged again at Envy with flames in her eyes.

Hate continued to use her powers to try and annihilate Hazel, but each time she tried Hazel would always dodge and land with just a bruise or two.

"Stand still dammit!" Hate cried and her energy flashed a bright light, blinding Hazel so she had to shut her eyes. When she opened them she saw an elbow come directly toward her! With no time to dodge it hit her square on. She could feel something crack, and she cried out in pain as a nose bleed came on. Hate seemed to smile as she saw her creator writh in pain as her nose was broken. Next would be her arm, maybe her legs, perhaps her neck. Hate had her foot on Hazel's stomach, and was ready to deliver a final blow. _'This is it...it's all over..'_ Hazel thought to herself, tears began to stream down her face. Hate's energy blast was all ready to fire, but then Hate froze right then and there. A flash flickered to show a small and crying little girl before her, and Hate only cried in agony as she backed off and away from Hazel. She held her head tightly, and cried out in pain as she started to shake all over. Hazel got up slowly, and looked at Hate.

"You...what are you doing to me!" Hate hissed in rage.

"I've done nothing to you... Memories of me, memories of your daughter are preventing you from killing me. Are you sure it shouldn't be the other way around Hate? I'm trying to...to make you rest in peace out of love..." Hazel couldn't help but say. Hate looked at Hazel with a glare that spelled our death.

"Out of love? A load of crap! My creator, you made me out of love? More like foolish selfishness, and now look where it's gotten us! You realize the suffering I have endured? Do you realize the agony and pressure both War and I have gone through? You know nothing!" Hate spat and charged at Hazel, full force. Hazel didn't have time to react and she was flung across the ground, landing on her back as she skidded to a hault halfway from where she stood before. She only stood up, a stern look in her eyes. Hate began to cringe, and then frowned with a twisted frown on her face.

"Stop looking at me like that! I'll destroy on your face if I have to!" she roared and sent her energy waves at Hazel. Somewhere, Hazel felt her automail function somewhat, and she was able to move it slightly! She stood there, that same look on her face.

Ed dodged all of Greed's attacks. Greed dodged all of Ed's. The two were equal to strength, to agility, and to power. What about intelligence though?

"I must admit, you are a good fighter for a pipsqueak such as yourself." Greed complimented.

"Don't call me short!" Ed spazzed and transmuted his automail into it's sword form. He swung and swung, and sooner or later was able to graze Greed on the cheek.

"Nice one. My turn now." Greed said with a playful grin. He started to change...into something! It was blue, fangs for teeth, red eyes, and it had those red lines and dots on it's body.

"Wh-what are you!" Ed cried as this Greed was more powerful than before.

"Come now young alchemist, don't tell me you've faced worse!" Greed answered and was able to punch Ed twice in a row! Ed had blood dribble down his mouth, but managed to wipe it off as he charged at Greed once more. Greed dodged every attack, and gave Ed a hard time of his life. Ed couldn't help but get frustrated, and finally came up with a tactic. He first had his automail sword pointed to the ground, and ran around in a circle. Greed didn't think much of it and watched Ed's movements. As Ed finished his run-around, he came at Greed who immediately attacked Ed. The strange thing was that Ed turned at the right second and continued this process. Greed finally realized that Ed had made a transmutation circle, with him in the middle! Greed knew this was trouble, and he charged at Ed to be held back! Without knowing, Ed had transmuted some mud to make him chained to the ground! The next thing Greed knew was Ed, charging straight at him again with a smirk on his face. As a 'last attack', Greed gave Ed a punch to the stomach. Ed felt like he was going to hurl, but he managed the strength to pierce through Greed's heart with his automail sword. Greed had a smile on his face as blood began to trickle down his mouth.

"Well well young alchemist...seems I underestimated you. Congratulations." Greed said through a hoarsed tone. Ed couldn't help but smile sadly. This homunculous actually didn't seem that bad.

"Not bad yourself, Greed. Sorry to say, but it's time for you to leave.." Ed said and with his other hand he placed it on the circle. It began to glow, and Greed couldn't help but moan in pain, even with a smile on his face as he looked up to the sky. Ed pulled out his automail sword and backed away slowly as he shielded his eyes when the circle's task was complete.

"Goodbye..." Greed said aloud and in moments, he was gone... turned to dust as it blew in the wind. Ed couldn't help but feel guilty, and then realized that he had to go help Al! He raced off to search for Al, and finally found him battling against Wrath...and Sloth.

Al fought hard against Sloth and Wrath, but they were overpowering him to the point where Al could only defend himself. He was still shooken up and a little immobilized at Sloth's appearance.. I mean, sure he was like that when he had suspicions about her when she was with the Fuhrer, but that was when he didn't really know. When he rolled across the ground, he couldn't get up as he was forcefully punched by Wrath. Dents began to appear in Al's armor. When Wrath was taking over Al's body, Al gained control and took Wrath by the arm.

"This is my brothers! I'm not going to give up without a fight! I will get back his arm and leg! It isn't fair that he suffered and that you gained what he lost!" Al cried. He still didn't know how this boy got Ed's arm and leg, but he didn't care. At least, not now. Wrath screamed in pain when Al twisted Wrath's other arm. Sloth came to the rescue and entered Al's armor in her watery state.

"What are you doing! BROTHER HELP!" Al couldn't help but scream.

"AL!" Ed cried as he charged, knocking Wrath to the ground.

"Brother stay away! Sloth is controlling me I don't want to hurt you!" Al cried, fighting against Sloth. Ed felt something bad in the pit of his stomach, and he cut himself a little bit on his arm. Blood spilled, and he rubbed it on his gloves.

"Al I'm sorry...This is going to hurt but it'll make Sloth get out!" Ed cried as he clapped his hands and placed them on Al's body. Al and Sloth screamed in pain as memories of their past flooded in their minds. It was torture, and Sloth couldn't stay in Al any longer as she burst out and on to the ground, coughing and spewing as she breathed heavily. Wrath rushed over to Sloth, making sure she was okay.

"Al I'm sorry are you okay?" Ed asked.

"Brother..I...I saw her. I saw her pain when she was still that thing... She's in pain like we are... Is that possible?" Al asked. It was then Ed realized that no matter what hoomunculi were now, they were still the people they had been before death and this terrible fate.

"Yeah...It is. So Al, let's make things right one more time. I don't want to see mom in pain...anymore.." Ed said and he put on Al's hands his blood that became the transmutation circle. Al felt privelaged to clap his hands to transmute, and the two brothers rushed at Sloth.

"NO! STAY AWAY FROM MOMMA!" Wrath growled when he got in front of Sloth to protect her. This made the two stop in their tracks.

"Momma?" Ed repeated.

"You heard me!" Wrath answered.

"You're crazy kid! Get out of the way!" Ed called. Wrath just stood where he was, a straight look on his face.

"No! I won't let you hurt her! I won't let you hurt momma!" Wrath repeated himself with more force in his voice. Al and Ed just rushed straight foward and extended their hands. Wrath seemed a little scared, and then gasped when Sloth got in the way! There was a bright light, and Sloth began to fade away...

"Momma! Momma why!" Wrath cried.

"I told you...I would never let you get hurt young one. Edward, you've made me proud... Good job, my son. Be sure to-- clean up afterwards, all right?" Sloth said with a smile on her face as she faded away. Edward couldn't help but suddenly start to have tears form in his eyes. He nodded with a small nod.

"Yeah...promise." he said and she smiled happily.

"Goodbye...mom." Al said through a whisper and with that, she was gone like mist...

"NO! MOMMA NO!" Wrath sobbed.

"Get over it." Ed said with a frown. Wrath couldn't help but show anger in his eyes, and he rushed off to hide somewhere...

"This isn't over! I'll kill you Edward for taking momma away from me! Then I'll become human as I take your leg, your arm, and your whole entire body!" Wrath screamed as he disappeared beyond the hill.

"Brother...he had you arm and leg. Should we go--"

"No Al. What good would it do, to take my arm and leg back from that homunculous? We'd just be repeating the same thing like we did so long ago. Let him have them...we'll find another way to get them back without having to hurt someone else. Come on, Hazel still needs help with Hate." Ed said and started to rush off. He turned to see Al face the other way.

"Uh...you go on and help Hazel. I'm gonna go help Li with Envy and War." Al said.

"Suit yourself. I'm rooting for you Al." Ed said.

"Rooting for me? For what Brother?" Al asked.

"For being the hero as you save your girlfriend!" Ed answered and rushed off, leaving a flustered Al to run off to Li-san and her battle.

Li-san charged at Envy with her double bladed sword, and struck! It only got a bit of Envy's hair, which he didn't like at all. He punched her in the cheek and she fell backwards on her ass. She couldn't help but cringe slightly. Envy was on top of her now and kicked her across the field. It was over...she couldn't fight anymore. She was tired...was this the end? She saw Envy's shadow, a smile on his face.

"Time to put me in my place, you said. My dear, I'm afraid it's the other way around." Envy said and was going to put an end to Li-san. Li-san shut her eyes tightly as she thought it would be all over soon. War couldn't help but rush toward Li-san, hoping to protect her if that is what it came to be. He started to slow down though when he saw a person in armor come speeding down the pathway to saving Li.

"LIII!" a voice cried and pushed Envy aside, making him take back his form. War couldn't help but smile as he saw Li's face blush when Al had saved her.

"Damn...I was so close!" Envy huffed as he got up, rubbing the blood away.

"No one's going to hurt Li. Not while I'm here." Al said threateningly.

"Oh Allll." Li-san said dreamily and Al blushed slightly. They quickly remembered their fight, and got into position.

"Ready?" Al asked and Li-san nodded. The two charged at Envy and knocked him down with such force he had to regain himself quickly before Al trampled him! Soon enough, Envy was pretty beat, but pulled out one secret weapon. With one swipe, Al was knocked across the ground! As he struggled to get up, Li-san tackled Envy to the ground, ready to go for the kill and make Envy return to the gate. As she was on top of him, he began to transform and took the form of a woman with long black hair, and shimmering brown eyes. Li-san's eyes went wide and became ovals in fear as the person over her was her mother! The transformation seemed to pierce Li-san's heart in two. War saw this too and felt like someone just shot him and killed him...again. It was her mother... No, it was Envy but...it looked so real...so real that she lost it. Everything in her mind shut down completely. _'I...I can't think straight anymore...Mom's here, in front of me now! My mind's completely blank...my brain seems to have--oh wait I don't have a brain last time I checked haha...'_ Li-san joked to herself. Li-san's eyes watered, she started to shake as Envy only smiled as she abruptly got off of him and backed away. War started to shake and clenched a fist as he ran toward Envy and Li-san.

"M-...Mom?" Li-san stuttered.

"What's the matter Li? Come to mother.." Envy said to her when he stood up, arms open wide. Li-san obeyed, and stood up walking over to Envy. Forgetting her surroundings, everything. All that she cared about was her mother. Envy couldn't help but snicker.

"That's right... Come to me Li, I'll make your pain go away." Envy said with a smile as Li-san came even closer. Meanwhile, he placed one hand behind his back as it transformed into a sharp, piercing sword. Li-san continued to walk toward Envy, and ignored Al's pleads.

"NO LI DON'T DO IT! IT'S ENVY DON'T MAKE HIM PUT YOU UNDER A SPELL!" Al cried but he watched helplessly as Li-san continued to walk toward Envy, baby steps one at a time. Al finally got to his feet and started to rush to Li. War was almost there, hoping to get there before it was too late. Using his speed, he quickened his pace. When Li was right where Envy wanted her, he struck! Li-san's eyes grew wide, her mouth was opened in awe as a faint moan could be heard. The scene turned to show blood...blood dripping on to the ground. Al could only stop where he was as he gasped.

Ed rushed over to where Hate and Hazel fought, and he came just in time. Another energy wave was sent to Hazel, and Hazel just stood there!

"HAZEL!" Ed cried as he rushed to help her, but stopped when he saw her automail move up and redirect the energy blast to the ground. She couldn't help but start to cry.

"Creator...why won't you let me kill you? It will make me happy...don't you want your mother to be happy?" Hate asked. This made Hazel go into a state of rage.

"Now you choose to be my mother! Denying the fact that what you're saying is true, just to make me say yes to your plea!" Hazel erupted.

"I am not denying anything! Creator I-"

"I'm not your creator! Dammit all I'm your daughter! No matter how hard you look at it I'm still Hazel Manson, the daughter you loved until death. Homunculi are made out of failed human transmutations, that means that they're life before this damnation was real! It means that your memories of me are still strong as they coarse through your veins. All Li-san and I want to do is let both you and War rest in peace! In doing so we'll finally-, all of us, we'll finally be able to correct what was wrong all those years ago!" Hazel shouted, tears began to pour her face. She looked Hate straight in the eyes, and could tell that Hate was feeling the same sadness she was.

"No that's not true...I... NO! Stop lying to me!... My..my purpose is to kill you and I can't do that if you're planting lies!" Hate shouted, tears began to come to her eyes. Hazel started to walk over to Hate who began to shake. Hazel couldn't help but feel so guilty, her homunculous seemed like just a little kid now... scared and confused.

"No..stay away from me!" Hate threatened. Hazel continued to walk over, and finally when she was right next to Hate she hugged her.

"Please...let me take your pain away...mom... It's all I want. I want you to go on and rest in peace..I want this soul to finally be able to move on." Hazel whispered. Hate couldn't do anything, it was too painful. The hug brought back memories of wonderful times when Hazel and Serenity were so happy with eachother, always laughing, smiling, always giving love to one another. It was too much, too much for Hate to bear that all at once her heart seemed to melt away the darkness in one blast of light. Hate's eyes started to water as she finally smiled a loving smile...

"Yes...I would like that very much... Hazel.." Hate said, calm for the first time in her life. Hazel looked up at Hate and smiled a teary smile.

"Okay then... Let me get the circle ready." Hazel said as she wiped her tears away. When the circle was complete, Hazel clapped her hands and placed them on the ground. The circle lit up, and she watched as Hate began to go back to where she belonged.

"Goodbye Hazel. Look after Li-san, and take care of yourself. I...love you..." Hate said and disappeared with a smile on her face. Hazel smiled, tears streaming down her face. Ed walked over, and a hand on her shoulder. Hazel couldn't help it, she turned to Ed and sobbed as he comforted her with a hug. As she was finally all right, they rushed off to go find Li-san, Al, and War.

"Let's get out of here Gluttony. We've already lost too many homunculi here." Lust commanded.

"But Lust!..." Gluttony whined. Lust just sighed and rushed off, with Gluttony reluctantly following. He wanted to at least try and eat one of them, always he liked fresh meat for a snack.

Li-san's eyes were wide, her mouth open agape. The blood continued to drip onto the ground, and Envy had a puzzled and disgusted look on his face at the pitiful creature before him.

"War! What the hell are you doing! Siding with _them_! Disgraceful! Have you forgotten what we've been told to do! Ordered to do! Wanted to do for so long!" Envy shrieked.

"Ordered to do? Who's ordered you?" Li-san asked, shocked. Al was too far away so hear the full conversation.

"A lady..by the name of...Dante!" War said and then gasped for breath as Envy pushed his sword further to silence War.

"Enough of your talk. I'm out of here. You've ruined everything. I'll be sure to finish this later." Envy sniveled and then left as War crumpled to the ground. Li-san caught him to break the painful fall, and her eyes started to water.

"Dad...Why'd you do that?" Li-san asked. War only smiled and put a hand on her face, wiping the falling tear.

"I couldn't...let my treasure... die..." he said weakly.

"Dad..." Li-san could only say.

"Li..." War said. Li-san looked at him with shimmering eyes. "Will you be a good girl for daddy?...And send me back... I'd like that..." War said as he looked up at the sky, the clouds were slowly passing by. Li-san sniffled with a nod.

"Of course... it's the least I can do." Li-san said and put some blood, her blood, on her transmutation gloves. She clapped once, and placed them on the ground. A circle began to form under War, and in a few minutes he started to disappear.

"Thank you...my daughter... Be good while I'm gone..." he said to her.

"Thanks dad...you too." Li-san said.

"Oh...Li... Pride...he is the Fuhrer.." War managed to say and left a stunned Li as the truth was revealed about Pride. The Fuhrer was Pride, who would have guessed! Li-san decided to keep that information to herself, and the fact that Dante was the one that sent the homunculi after them all. She slumped onto the ground and started to cry. Al walked over silently as he could and put a hand on her shoulder. He bent down and Li-san couldn't help but smile as she found the courage to stand up and go find the others.

"Hey look! There they are!" Ed called as he waved, rushing over to Al and Li-san. Hazel, Winry, Armony, and Eiselstein followed close behind.

"Hey Ed...did you take care of the homunculi?" Li-san asked.

"Sort of... I got rid of Greed and Sloth... You?" Ed asked, hands in his pockets.

"War was taken care of while Envy got away... What about Lust and Gluttony?" Li-san asked.

"Taken care of. They ran off after we took out Hate and Wrath as he just went off somewhere." Hazel answered as she walked over.

"HAZEL! YOUR AUTOMAIL WHAT HAPPENED!" Li-san asked and rushed over.

"It just got banged up... Winry, would you be able to fix it for me? I'm sorry it got to this, but I really need some new automail." Hazel asked.

"Well...We're probably going to need to go to Rush Valley. I don't have any stronger automail with me at all, and we'll have to buy it from there. Ed, is that all right with you? I mean...I don't really have any money right now so-"

"I'll buy it! I'll buy all of it if I have to Winry-san! Let me do it!" Li-san volunteered immediately.

"Li-san...you don't have to--"

"Please, I want to. Let me pay for it all Winry-san." Li-san said, her bangs covered her eyes. Winry couldn't help but nod her head as the group went back to Armony's house.

"So... are you not coming back? Where are you going to go after this?" Armony asked once everyone packed their things.

"After here we were going to go to Dublith to see Ed and Al's alchemy teacher. After that...we're not sure." Li-san answered with a sweatdrop.

"Okay...good bye guys, and come home safely okay?" Armony said with a weak smile and hugged them both. They could only smile back sadly. As everyone waved goodbye as they returned to Rush Valley, Armony couldn't help but start to cry. It was Eiselstein that made her settle.

"Don't worry. Those two will be fine. They're strong, they'll come home." he said to her and she smiled.

In Rush Valley, Winry was able to get all of her things she needed, and the operation began. When it was all over, Li-san was the only one who requested to see Hazel alone. She entered the room, and closed the door. It opened just a crack. Little did she know the group was peeking in. Li-san sat down beside Hazel who opened one eye weakly.

"Hey...how's the new automail?" Li-san asked her.

"It's all right... So, we took care of our sins.. how do you feel?" Hazel asked.

"Relieved. You?" Li-san replied.

"Pretty relieved myself... I'm glad we were able to correct some part of our past that was right." Hazel said with a small chuckle. Li-san couldn't help but fidget slightly.

"What's wrong with you Li?" Hazel asked.

"Listen Hazel...there's, something you need to know. A couple of things that might change us forever..." Li-san said quietly. Hazel sat up in her bed. Li-san took the bag out of her pocket first, and spread out the things inside the bag. They shimmered brightly, and Hazel's eyes went wide.

"L-Li! Crimson stones! But how?" Hazel gasped. Ed and Al outside, their eyes widened too.

"I took them when we were still little kids, not knowing what they really were. It was when I was in my 'coma' that I remembered them." Li-san said.

"This is great! It's another clue! WE might actually be able to get what we have come so far to get!" Hazel said with a smile, but then frowned as Li-san didn't rejoice with her.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Hazel asked.

"Hazel...what if, what if we're actually from this world? I mean...not from the Real World at all! What if we were actually born here, and then somehow came to the Real World through the gate!" Li-san asked.

"Real World!" Ed cried.

"Brother! Ssh!" Al whispered.

"What are you Li, crazy! If we were born here how could we go from this, to...not this!" Hazel asked. (she meant from anime to not anime by the way)

"I don't know... there were some things I found out in The Gate from It." Li-san answered.

"Oh? What else did It tell you? Ever think it's just a lie?" Hazel asked.

"I don't know... It might not be Hazel. How could no one from this world realize we weren't real except It? It knows that we're not from here... it talked to me and told me about the world we want to go back to.. But now, now I'm not so sure that our parents back in the Real World are even our parents! Everything is confusing Hazel, I don't know what to think anymore..." Li-san said. Hazel couldn't find the right words to say now, it was all just too overwhelming.

"So you're telling me...that maybe we were born on this side? Then somehow transfered to our world and grew up there? Then what about the Li-san and Hazel from this side? What happened to them!" Hazel asked.

"I..I have a hypothesis... You know how we came here through the power of alchemy right? Well, what if on this side the day we performed human transmutation we didn't live on...we just died? Now, we being here and all, what if we made the whole past different and everyone went on living different lives now? Everything has been changed because we came here. I think that, since we came here it's like we never died. I don't know... maybe it's not true but, It's made me think about this whole situation. I mean, think about it. How were two normal kids like us living in the world without alchemy suddenly be able to perform it!" Li-san cried. Hazel grabbed Li-san by the collar of your shirt.

"I don't know! Personally I don't want to find out! I just want to get home Li, just get home! I wish you would remember that circle you used to get us here! Now you're giving me all of this information all at once, and it's overwhelming if you've thought about it! Li, be sure you know your information before telling me any of this! Damnit all, I just want to go home... go to the Real World.." Hazel muttered. The door suddenly swung open, and there stood Ed, Al, and Winry... all with confused and angered looks on their faces.

"Fakes? Fake Li's and Hazels? What if there wasn't a Hazel or Li? What the hell are you two talking about! Real World! I demand answers! Who are you!" Ed shouted. The two looked blankly at the group, and then to themselves.

"Ooooooooooooooooooh snap..." they said in unison.

A/N: -smirks- aren't I cruel to leave it at that exact point? heheh u'll just have to wait for chapter 13 to come out! in the meantime, please-! (there is a knock at emiierox's door, making her stop her sentence abruptly)

**Me:** Yes? WAah! (a pudgy hand grabs em by the collar of her shirt as she is flung out the door)

**Gluttony:** All you can eat all you can eat let's go! (dragging Em down the road as a stream of tears are being cried)

**Me:** What! I just took you out to dinner yesterday! I'm broke do you realize how much money you made me spend!

**Gluttony:** . . . FOOOOOOD. NOOOW. OR ELSE I WILL EAT YOU! (gets ready to lunge)

**Me:** WAIT! YOU DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN! (waves hands up and down as gluttony looks puzzling at em) Besides...if you eat me you'll never find out about what hazel and li are gonna do now that their secret is out! that and u'll make the readers very unhappy (points)

**Fans of the Fullmetal Adventure so Far: **(everyone cracks their knuckles, their eyes are gleaming white with flames) release the author!

**Me: **(sweatdrop) S-see? also, u won't get to see what Izumi Curtis (in the next chappie) does (in my point) to the elrics when she gets mad at them, or us for that matter!

**Gluttony:** (sucks on his finger) hmm...okay. write more now! (leaves)

**Me:** (turns to fans of the story) thanks everyone. now i can go on to writing chapter 13. (fans disperse) Phew...-sweatdrops- anyways, like i was saying before i was rudely interrupted (glares at gluttony, and then turns back to readers) everyone please leave a review and tell me if u liked this chapter or not ;) -Em


	13. Explaining To Do! Tell It To Teacher!

A/N: okay, u guys don't mind if this _isn't_ the last chapter.. do u? there's only a couple more and it will all tie into the finale and everything so yea lol so i hope that's okay that this isn' that last chapter. anyways-- Here is the long awaited chapter 13! wasn't it worth the wait? (people start throwing tomatoes at emmieroxs for making them wait so long) okay okay so maybe that cliffie was too much for u guys to handle! (sweatdrops) luckily now the wait's over and you may read on to see what happens now that their secret is out!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any characters from Fullmetal, only Hazel, Li, War, and Hate are my OC :)

**Guest Stars:** Izumi, Sig, and Mason!

**Chapter 13: You've Got Explaining To Do; Explain IT ALL To Teacher!**

The room grew deadly silent, and everyone stared at Li-san and Hazel, confused looks on their faces.

"Well? Answer the question! Who the hell are you? And what's the Real World!" Ed shouted. The two gulped, and looked at eachother. The backround became black as they talked through _telepathy..._

_'Hazel what do we do! I didn't think they'd be eavesdropping!'_ Li-san thought.

_'I don't know! You're the one that got us into this mess with bringing up how we might actually be from this world! Gosh Li next time think before you go and open that big mouth of yours!'_ Hazel hissed back.

_'Like you're the one to talk.'_ Li-san countered.

_'Enough about me! What are we going to do! We can't tell them that this world isn't real and it's just a Television show! They'd think we'd be nuts!'_ Hazel cried. She thought, and then snapped her fingers in her mind. Li-san looked at Hazel to see what she was thinking.

_'Uh...ah...why don't we just tell them the truth? Leaving out the 'this is a t.v show and you're not real' part?'_ Hazel suggested.

_'Are you crazy! Tell them the truth! How are we going to do that!'_ Li-san screamed.

_'Well what else can we do!'_ Hazel protested.

_'Hmmm...let's, white lie again I mean it worked before!'_ Li-san cried.

_'Yeah...white lying, look where it's gotten us!'_ Hazel countered.

_'Well it's worth a shot! AT least it would make sense to them cause it'll be like that in the movie!' _Li-san cried back.

_'Hmph...Fine, but I don't like it. I hope you're right Li and this won't become another dilemma. I don't want to lose the friendship yhat we have between Ed and Al.'_ Hazel sighed and the two were able to answer. Hazel would just agree, and if she could say something to add to the problem.

"Umm...Ed, Al... It's hard to explain. I've only been questioning myself recently.." Li-san said.

"Oh really now? And what's that?" Ed snapped.

"Well, the Real World...we mean... The world on the other side of The Gate. The world without alchemy, only science and rocketry." Li-san explained.

"A world without alchemy? How's that possible?" Ed asked.

"We don't know...I mean, it was when I was in a coma back at my house that I was in front of the gate... and It was there too." Li-san said.

"It?" Al repeated.

"Yes...a black figure, no eyes...just a strange smile always on It's face." Li-san replied. "You see... I was able to gain more memories from The Gate, but also memories of something else. Friends, a life I thought never existed all on the other side.. I remembered that Hazel and I on the Real Side performed alchemy to see if it would work, then all of a sudden we arrived here! I think when we came through our memories disappeared from our life on the Real Side when we teleported ourselves to This World." Li-san explained.

"So what you're saying...is that when both of you came from the Other Side of The Gate, your memories of your lives on the other side vanished, and because of your existence here it's created different events here? Like you were always living here to begin with... What I'm questioning is how that can be possible." Ed said.

"We don't know Ed... Now that I think about it, Li-san and I on the Other Side used to always believe in alchemy. It's all coming back, slowly to me.. We had friends there, we went to school... so many things." Hazel said quietly.

"Why did you keep this from us?" Al asked.

"It was only recently that memories started flooding back. All because of my visit to the gate... It might be possible, that if we go back you'll never remember us again as the time line will become different. I'm sure you already heard my hypothesis Ed." Li-san said and Ed nodded.

"We're sorry Ed..." Hazel said.

"I'm still confused... Li-san and Hazel, during your conversation, both of you seemed to already know you were from the Other Side yet you claim to say you just recently found out. What's the truth?" Ed asked. Li-san formed a sweatdrop.

_'Way to go.'_ Hazel thought sarcastically. Luckily Li-san recovered quickly.

"I don't know... It's like, two different me's are fighting. The me from The Other Side, and the me from This World. Two memories, two thoughts, all of them are just combining into one entity. You try having two different Ed's in your head, making your whole life confused." Li-san covered.

"It would make sense... why'd you hide it from us then?" Al asked.

"We were afraid... afraid that you wouldn't like us anymore. You'd be suspicious, you'd hate us, and run. You'd think we were crazy." Hazel answered, a frown on her face.

"I understand that... still, friends tell others when they need to the most. Anyways...besides all of this you still need to meet our teacher, remember? Maybe you could even talk to her about this, 'Other Side'. I'm sure she'll have answer to it." Ed said with a partial grin. They didn't smile back, but his advice was pretty good information to them. Perhaps when they got to Dublith they'd ask right away when Ed, Al, and Winry weren't around. Ed frowned when the room was still silent, and sad looks were on Hazel and Li-san's faces.

"C'mon guys, it's not like a sin. I mean, sure it's a lie but still you had a good reason for it." Ed said with a sad look.

"We just..." Hazel started with watery eyes.

"D-don't cry! Gosh I didn't want this to become a soap opera or nothin!" Ed cried, waving his hands up and down.

"We're just so lucky to have friends like you!" Li-san cried happily and Ed and Al couldn't help but grin a little strangely.

"Heh. Damn right! Now c'mon you two, it's time that you met Teacher." Ed said with a grin and the five walked out. Winry hadn't said a word since, she was still trying to figure out everything that had just happened. Was this really not a lie? Could Hazel and Li-san really be trusted now that this was the second time something strange had come up with them involved?

"Winry? You comin?" Ed asked when she spaced out, standing in her place.

"Wh-what? Oh... Y-yeah. Coming Ed!" Winry called and rushed up to them. As the five continued their trip back to Iron Town through StoneRidge Path, they chatted frequently.

"So Ed, what's your Teacher like?" Hazel asked curiously.

"She's pretty cool... sometimes scary, a little stern and strict, but really she cares about us. We were only her pupils at the ages of 9 and 10." Ed said with a laugh.

"Ed, I thought you said she wasn't one to pick with? Especially since you're in the military." Li-san said. Ed drooped, gloomy colors above his head.

"That's right...She's gonna kill me! She'll probably do something to you too though since you're in the military as well." Ed commented and Li-san and Hazel grew pale. They started to shake.

"Haha. Don't worry Li, Teacher is very nice." Al said.

"According to you Al." Ed shot. Li-san couldn't help but shiver in delight as she jumped up for joy. Everyone stared at her strangely.

"Now I really wanna meet your Teacher!" Li-san exclaimed happily.

"Didn't you hear a word I said Li?" Ed asked and Li-san could only laugh.

"Ya ya! Course I heard Edo-kun! Still, at least you have a teacher that cares about you like you were her own sons. It must be nice to have that. Like what Hazel and I have with Armony and Uncle.." Li-san said with a bright smile.

"Eh...why Edo-kun?" Ed repeated. Sure he remembered Li called him that once at Eiselsteins house, but it really was a random thing.

"Yeah yeah! It sounds cool for you! Edo-kun Edo-kuuuuun!" Li-san chanted. Ed couldn't help but grin.

"Well then! I like the sound of that! Come on you two let's get going!" Ed said and took both of them by the hand. Suddenly though, Li-san broke free abruptly, a painful look on her face.

"Li? What's wrong?" Al asked, alarmed as he rushed over.

"I saw...I saw something really weird..." Li-san said.

"Weird? What did you see?" Al asked.

"I dunno... I think though... I think that we've met once before a long time ago Ed... Like, when you and Al were just here training for alchemy with your teacher when you were just little boys." Li-san said and Ed couldn't help but cringe slightly.

"Really! Brother, wouldn't it be cool if we actually did know Li-san and Hazel when they were just little girls!" Al exclaimed.

"Yeah it would but, how could you see something like this by one touch?" Ed asked.

"It's something I ate... I guess it's effects haven't worn off yet. I saw you guys, performing alchemy with a woman with black and long curly-ish hair... She looked very pretty. That's where you got the cross and winged serpent tattoo on your armor shoulder, right Al?" Li-san asked and pointed.

"She's right Brother!" Al exclaimed.

"It could be possible that we met once... I mean, Iron Town and Dublith are right next to eachother." Ed said and everyone just shrugged it off and continued to walk on. Soon they reached Dublith, and in that small town is where they were on the search for Ed and Al's Teacher.

"Say Ed, is your teacher strong? Like, strong strong as in she could kick all of our butts?" Hazel asked.

"Hell yeah..." Ed replied with a sweatdrop.

"Cool! I wanna challenge her someday and kick her ass! She won't be the victor once she fights me!" Li-san exclaimed.

"That's...never going to happen Li. Trust me." Ed said to her and she slumped slightly. Li-san then just shrugged, and stuck her tongue out playfully with her hands over the back.

"I'll never know if I don't find out! Come on guys let's find Ed and Al's teacher!" Li-san exclaimed as she rushed off.

"Come on guys you're such slowpokes!" she teased to them and suddenly bumped into a very...large man wearing a brown T-shirt and blue jeans. She fell with an thud, and the group walked over to see if Li was all right. The man grunted, and turned around to face the recovering Li-san from her fall. Ed and Al immediately hid behind a brick wall as soon as possible, with Winry just stared at them when she followed (Al had to squat down while Ed hid behind him).

"Owee...That's gonna leave a bruise on my butt..." she said to herself and looked up to see the man staring/glaring at her. Beady eyes, a scar above his left eye. He almost extended a hand, but Li-san just yelped up and hid behind Hazel shaking all over.

"I'm so sorry mister for bumping into you! **PLEASE DON'T EAT ME**!" Li-san cowered and Hazel just sighed and stepped to the right having Li-san fall without support back on the ground face forward.

"Here." the man said and picked Li-san up from the ground. He gave her a stare, and she couldn't help but form sweatdrops.

"Hey." he said.

"Y-yes?" Li-san asked. He pointed to her.

"Don't I know you?" he asked her.

"M-m-me! Uh...well ummmm... I'm sorry but ane-san says I should never talk to strangers or give out information about myself and that would include my name which is Li-san!" Li-san said sternly and Hazel slapped her hand to her forehead. Li-san's eyes went from stern ones to black beady ones in ditzyness and she formed a sweatdrop.

"Ooooh crap. I'm an idiot." Li-san said and her eyes became - - /sweatdrop/ .

"Li-san. I know you. You used to visit my wife, Izumi and me." the man said.

"R-really? I did?" Li-san asked as she pointed to herself. With another grunt, the man nodded.

"All set honey, let's get goin'." a voice said from the store they were standing in front of. It was a meat shop. The person that stood in front of them now was a very well fit woman who wore a white shirt, black pants, sandals, and her hair was black that seemed to be curly-ish.

"Izumi, you know this kid? Goes by Li-san." the man asked and pointed.

"Hm? Li...Oh! You were that kid who always stopped by with your friend from Iron Town! Boy have you changed, I see you're doing well. Wow you sure have grown a lot! I remember you were only up to my knees when you were 9. You were such a shrimp, I can't believe you had an outstanding growth spurt." Izumi teased with a laugh as Li started to blush. Now Li was at least shoulder to shoulder with Izumi.

"Eh...thaaanks.." Li couldn't help but say strangely.

"Hm? You don't remember me? I'm Izumi Curtis, and this is my husband Sig." Izumi said.

"OH! SO YOU'RE ED AND AL'S TEACHER!" Hazel blurted out. She had taken a guess because if Hazel and Li-san knew Ed and Al before, then she would be their teacher because that would have been the only way for them to meet! _'I'm such a genius.'_ Hazel thought with a glimmer in her eyes. There was an odd silence.

"Are Edward and Alphonse here?" Izumi asked sternly.

"Hm? Well, we did see them a few minutes ago." Li-san said and looked around cluelessly. Hazel got the drift when she saw Ed peeping out somewhere and shaking his head no rapidly.

"We-... lost track of them a while back. I'm sure they're here somewhere. Is there something wrong Miss Curtis?" Hazel asked politely.

"No, nothing at all... Tell me though, is it true that my students became dogs of the military? I've been hearing rumors about my two stupid apprentices." Izumi asked them and then noticed their pocketwatches. She frowned slightly. They noticed, and quickly hid their watches.

"I see _both of you_ are in the military." she said to them pointing.

"It's not for military and war ma'am... It's for something else, something important." Li-san said and Izumi seemed a little surprised. She shrugged.

"Why don't you two come into the shop? I already closed it down for today." Izumi said.

"Well, weren't you just going home now? I'm sure Li-san and I wouldn't want to be a burden to you guys." Hazel said.

"Oh no it's quite all right. Sig and I were just going to get some more meat and cooking supplies, but that can wait." Izumi said waving her hand up and down happily. Li-san and Hazel didn't think too much about it, and happily walked inside. Sig was next, and then Izumi. All of a sudden though, she stared at the corner with her sharp narrow eyes, as if she saw right through that wall to reveal a hiding Ed and Al. A few seconds later, she walked inside and closed the door. Li-san and Hazel couldn't help but ooh and aah as they looked around the shop. It was so tiny somewhat, but so successful!

"This is a cool place!" Li-san exclaimed as she started to put a finger on an object. Hazel slapped her hand.

"Don't touch that! It might have dried animal blood on it! YOU MIGHT GET RABIES!" Hazel snapped. Obviously Li-san was going to touch a butcher knife. Li-san sulked. Izumi couldn't help but laugh with a smile.

"So, Li. How are you and your friend doing now a days? I haven't heard from both of you in a long time. You seemed to just have stopped visiting after a while." Izumi asked them.

"Well we've been better." Li-san admitted. "You remember Hazel, right?" Li-san added and Hazel couldn't help smile and wave.

"Ah yes. How could I forget? Hello Hazel, been a long time." Izumi said with a laugh.

"Ummm...Miss Curtis," Hazel started.

"Oh, please. Call me Izumi it's fine." Izumi said with a smile.

"Ummm...Miss Izumi... can we, talk to you about something? Something that Ed and Al had suggested to us before we came here?" Hazel asked.

"Oh? Sure, go right ahead." Izumi said with a grin. She turned to Sig though who got the message and he left the room, going on to chop some meat for costumers for other days. When he left, Hazel began to ask the question.

"Well... do you think that it's possible that, in alchemy, there may be another side to the alchemy gate known as, 'The Truth'?" Hazel asked. Izumi gasped slightly, and then her eyes narrowed with a frown.

"I don't know. I've never been through the gate. Just seeing it makes me sick to my stomach." Izumi said.

"Sensei-sama! Does that mean you've done Human Transmutation too!" Li-san blurted out. Izumi looked away, but didn't regret the answer.

"Yes... I have. I learned a lesson that day as well." Izumi said and clutched her stomach slightly.

"Oh...I'm sorry Sensei-sama." Li-san apologized.

"So girls, why did you want to know if there might be another side to The Truth?" Izumi asked.

"Well...Miss Izumi we're...from the Other Side. I mean, at least we think we are. Ever since Li visited it again our lives have become more complicated." Hazel explained. Izumi rose from her seat abruptly. This was shocking news to her.

"Another side? You two, from that side? If that's true then how did you get to this one?" Izumi asked. Hazel turned to Li as all eyes fell on her.

"Well...I can sort of, in my mind when I'm sleeping or out cold or whatever... I can summon the gate at will. The thing that was in charge of the gate told me these things... clues about our past, about our real lives. Right now what I've collected so far is that maybe both Hazel and I were born on this side...somehow and someway then we went to the other side of the gate where alchemy doesn't exist. I think... I think on this side when we performed human transmutation we failed... and were transported to the other side of the gate where we grew up and all. It's all coming back...slowly to me that both Hazel and I one day heard about alchemy, of how it wasn't just a myth, but real! Apparently our memories from this side were erased, and we had forgotten who we really were. Hazel and I, out of curiousity when I invited her to my house, performed alchemy using a transmutation circle and then came over to this side somehow! That's really it right now though... I mean, even though more of it is coming to back to me about my life on the other side, I still can't remember what circle I used. And Hazel can't remember either." Li-san said with a frown. Izumi just sighed, and sat back down.

"You said that you can summon the gate, right Li?" Izumi asked.

"Yes Sensei-sama." Li-san answered.

"Why don't you summon it again and ask? I mean, The Truth should be able to give you an answer." Izumi suggested.

"Sorry Snsei-sama but I already tried that. I think It might get more aggrivated if I go again. I'm going to try and do it next time though later." Li-san answered.

"Oh...well, just when you get around to it. Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?" Izumi asked.

"I have one question Miss Izumi. If we were sent to the other side of the gate... then are our parents on that side the opposites of the people on this one?" Hazel asked. Okay, so white lying didn't really get them to home so to speak... It only made this _plot_ have them say they were from the Other Side of the gate without alchemy during World War II and not have them actually say they were from the future. That would be an even more complicated thing to try and work out!

"Hmmm...it's possible. Counter parts from this side to the next. I believe that if many of the people from this side have been taken over, their counterparts will be there." Izumi replied.

"Sensei-sama...who did you try to bring back?" Li-san couldn't help but ask.

"My...unborn child." Izumi answered.

"Oh I'm sorry Sensei-sama!" Li-san wailed apogetically as she started spazzing slightly.

"N-no don't be sorry Li! It wasn't your fault at all." Izumi answered with a small smile and then gave a stern look toward a window. Two people who looked inside ducked for cover.

"Edward. Alphonse. Get over here right now before I come out there and give you a lesson you'll want to regret!" Izumi snapped. Hazel and Li-san heard voices calling out, "Yes Teacher!" and the two rushed inside with Winry following.

"So Edward, I heard you were the dog of the military now." Izumi said and walked over.

"Y-yes Teacher I am the dog of the militar--oof!" Edward half finished before he flew out the window!

"Eep! Brother!" Al cried.

"Al? That you? Good to see you!" Izumi said and extended a hand.

"Nice to see you too Teacher. It's good to see you're doing--well!" Al cried and he was flipped over onto the ground, knocking himself into Ed.

"You have some explaining to do! And I want answers now!" Izumi shouted. Hazel and Li-san, by this time, backed away slowly.

"Teacher we can explain if you just let us- uuwaah!" Ed cried as he was sent flying a second time.

"Teache please! Listen to us you listened to Hazel and Li-san!" Al squeaked as he was thrown to the ground forcefully.

"That was different! Even you two should know that!" Izumi spat. After a few whacks, she finally walked up to Ed and Al. Nothing was said, and she just turned to the shop, waiting for the brothers to follow. They did, and now Sig had dinner all ready in the room behind the store. Everyone sat down, chairs were set. Only one was left for someone else. Li-san and Ed only stared at the delicious food that stood before them while Al, Hazel, and Winry had sweatdrops.

"So umm..Teacher can we eat?" Ed asked.

"Not yet Ed. Be patient. Tell me, why did you become a dog of the military after what I taught you? You go beyond and strictly didn't listen to my teachings." Izumi said. The two were silent.

"Come on Ed answer! My tummy's rumblin'!" Li-san joked as Hazel gave her a jab in the ribs.

"We...I only became a State Alchemist because I need to fix something." Ed said sternly.

"Brother's right Teacher! We just wanna fix something!" Al protested.

"Fix something? Like restoring your bodies?" Izumi asked and Ed and Al gasped. The room grew event more quieter than it was before...

"Edward, your left leg and right arm aren't real. They're automail, aren't they? And Alphonse, your armor...there's nothing inside it am I right?" Izumi asked.

"Teacher! How did you...how did you kno-"

"Your footsteps Edward. The clinks I can hear coming from your arm. Al, your armor, when I threw you you were as light as a feather." Izumi answered quickly. She then turned to Hazel and Li-san.

"Don't think I know about you two as well... From what you told me earlier and how you did _that_ performance, I can tell you've lost more than you could ever chew." she said to them. The mood went from okay, to rock bottom. There was a strong silence, before someone spoke up.

"Let's eat already! I'm hungry too! Can't you hear my stomach it's saying: Feed me Li! FEED ME!" Li-san bursted out and was hit on the head by Hazel."You baka! You don't just go and tell people when you're hungry and when you're starving! We're guests remember!" Hazel roared angrily.

"Geez...lighten up Hazel. I was just trying to lighten the mood. You know how creepy it is when there's just an awkward silence..." Li-san muttered under her breath. Hazel couldn't help but sit back down quietly.

"Li-san's right. Let's eat." Izumi said quietly and everyone began to pick up some food. Suddenly, Hazel had just noticed that a seat was left empty. She couldnt' help but tilt her head to one side curiously.

"Miss Izumi, who is that seat for?" Hazel asked as she pointed.

"Sorry I'm late boss! Sorry Missus Curtis!" a voice called as a man with spiky hair and a white head band walked in hurriedly.

"Ah! Mason! Ed and Al have returned, and they've brought friends. You remember Li-san and Hazel, right?" Izumi asked. Mason looked over to Hazel and Li-san and then smiled.

"Oh! Hazel, Li-san! Long time no see! You sure have grown Li-san! Last time I saw you you were even shorter than Ed!" Mason said.

"I WASN'T SHORT TO BEGIN WITH!" Li-san spazzed.

"Calm down stop acting like Ed when he gets called short." Hazel whispered.

"What was that Hazel?" Ed snapped.

"Nothing! Nothing at all! Hahahahaha!" Hazel said, sweatdrops formed. Izumi couldn't help but smile. Sig just loomed over the table. Mason couldn't help laugh with a smile on his face. As everyone ate (with the exception of Al), it was finished in a few minutes.

"Teacher, would you like to see our alchemy?" Al asked.

"Sure, Al." Izumi answered and got up from her seat, everyone following. When they were all outside, Al made his circle and created a toy horse with wonderful features.

"Amazing Alllll!" Li-san couldn't help but squeal and Al blushed.

"Marvelous detail, I see your speed has become faster." Izumi said as she studied the creation.

"Heheh...Thanks Teacher." Al said with a chuckle.

"My turn Teacher! Watch!" Ed said with excitement and clapped his hands. He placed them on the ground, and out sprouted a flying winged pegasus!

"Edwaaaaaaaaard..." Al pouted. He hated it when his brother showed off to compare work. Li-san couldn't help but laugh slightly. Izumi just smiled and was very impressed with Ed's detail, structure, and basically anything else she could see which made Al shed one tear.

"What about you two? Hazel, Li-san." Izumi asked politely.

"Uh...Yeah Hazel let's show Sensei-sama what we can do!" Li-san said.

"I dunno..." Hazel said, a little unsure of herself.

"Aw c'mon! Watch! Watch!" Li-san said and clapped her hands together, placing them on the ground to create a dragon statue, majestic, big, tall, and detail to it's very last scale on it's body. Everyone's (Winry, Al, Ed, Mason) jaw dropped in it's funny mode and Izumi was very impressed.

"My! Such detail, and at that size? I'm still amazed you're even standing!" Izumi couldn't help but exclaim.

"Heheh... Thanks Sensei-sama it was a piece of cake." Li-san said with a playful wink.

"Okay! My turn now!" Hazel said and took a deep breath in. She clapped her hands together, and placed them on the ground. Out came a figure of a phoenix! It's tail was connected of course to the ground, and it's wings were expanded showing it's grace and beauty.

"Marvelous! Both of you, you're very skilled alchemists. You could even be Ed and Al's equal!" Izumi exclaimed. All four of them blushed. It started to get dark, and the sun was setting.

"Hm...it's getting late now. Teacher, I think we'll be heading out now." Ed said with a chuckle.

"Nonsense Edward. You, Al, and all of your friends are welcome to stay for a few more days if you like. I mean, you've only just gotten here too." Izumi said as she waved her hand up and down with a smile on her face. The gang couldn't really say no, so they said yes instead. And so, they spent the night at Izumi and Sig's home/meat shop.

As it was 9:00, there was a light knock on Li-san's door.

"Who is it?" Li-san asked.

"Li let me in!" Hazel cried from the other side.

"Come on in Ane-san! Door's open." Li-san said and Hazel came bouncing in.

"My are you hyper today." Li-san said with a chuckle. The sleepyness must have come a little while ago when she transmuted that dragon.

"I talked with Miss Izumi again today and she said that she'd help us out tommorow to find the transmutation circle to use to get us back home! The one that you used Li! That means when we find it we'll be able to go home!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Yeah...home.." Li-san said with a slight frown.

"Hm? What's wrong Li? Don't you want to go home?" Hazel asked, puzzled. Li wanted to just blurt out and say No, but instead she didn't answer.

"Listen Hazel...what if, what if I wanted to stay here? You wouldn't be like...mad or anything would you?" Li-san asked.

"Mad? No..sad maybe... I mean, people will think you're missing, and I can't have that! Or say that you're in a show that we watch on Adult Swim for that matter." Hazel said. Li-san only half smiled. Show... it seemed like this whole thing was anything but a show!

"Yeah...you're right sorry for bringing that up. Tommorow we'll be searching for the transmutation circle." Li-san said with a smile.

"Good! Oh, Miss Izumi said that tommorow we would go with Ed and Al since they're helping us, to her teacher's place up in the woods." Hazel said when she was walking to Li-san's door.

"Oh? Who's Sensei-sama's teacher?" Li-san asked.

"She goes by the name of...what was it now... Dan--something." Hazel said with a shrug. Li-san's eyes went wide. That name! _"Ordered to do? Who's ordered you?" "A lady..by the name of...Dante!"_

"Dante..." Li-san said aloud.

"That was the name! Yeah she's called Dante of the Forest. She lives in the forest north of here." Hazel said with a smile.

"No kidding. I kinda got that when you said 'Dante of the **Forest**." Li-san said monotonously and Hazel couldn't help but have sweatdrops.

"Aheheh...right I knew that." she said with a laughing smile, and then looked concerned. "Li? Are you okay you just looked like you saw a ghost... You're so pale is everything all right?" Hazel asked. Li-san snapped out of her transe, and then nodded abruptly.

"Y-yeah I'm fine I just...I was just thinking about something that's all." Li-san said and Hazel only half nodded as she walked out the door. When it was closed shut, Li-san flopped onto her back onto the bed. _'Dante...Dante of the Forest?... The one that ordered the homunculi to kill us... The one who created those guys from the red stones... The one who is Sensei-sama's teacher... That just can't be good.' _Li-san thought, and wondered what this Dante person would look like... Oh well, better think about that later she told herself and went to sleep. Tommorow, she thought, would be when Hazel, Ed, Al, and herself would go see Dante. The question was, Li asked to herself, was, _'Can I wait that long knowing she might be the one responsible for the homunculi?'_ She decided that tonight, she would go to Dante and do some snooping to see if what War had told her was true. This was a matter that couldn't be pushed back, and since everyone was asleep now it was either now or never. _'Right.. Tonight I go to see Dante of the Forest. See who she really is..' _

A/N: hmm, i think i'm going to stop here. if i go on it'll completely be a total drag lol well, longer haha /sweatdrop/ not a drag heh... anyways, yea the explaining of their secret was a little short, but i have a reason for that. ah, more lies just what hazel and li need. i wonder where it will get them if they've said they lived on the Other Side of the Gate... (if u've seen the movie or the end of the series, u probably have an idea of what's happened) so again, i hope u don't mind that this wasn't the last chapter. main reason why i didn't want it to be was i still wanted to introduce izumi (which i have) and dante and hoenheim. he'll be making an appearance soon.. anyways, the next chappie will be spooky...ish. lol so be ready for Chapter 14: Never Go Into A Creepy House In A Creepy Forest. ta-ta ev'ryone! leave a review plz! -Em


	14. Nvr Go Into A Creepy House in A Forest

A/N: okay, as usual this is another long chapter.. but hey u've stuck with all my other long ones so congrats! -claps and cheers- so this one should be a cinch to read! -smiles- anyways, yes i still hope u're all right with chapter 13 not being the last chapter. i still want to introduce hoenheim and alfons heiderich from the movie! everything will be explained at the end though, i promise! yea alfons plays a role (though small) in this story so just lettin ya know ;) okay maybe i shouldn'tve told u who else would be in it, but whatever! he's just another special guest :) anyways, thank you all for liking this story. when it's all over, all u reviewers will be mentioned! for now, Happy Reading :)

**Special Guest:** Dante and?!- (not gonna tell ya :-P )

**Chapter 14: Never Go Into A Creepy House In A Creepy Forest Unprepared**

Winry slept in her own room tonight, alone... She kept staring at the ceiling, still thinking about everything today she heard from Li and Hazel's mouths. It was still amazing and surprising to her, and she knew she wasn't handling it well even though she wanted to. For some reason she thought that even though Ed and Al seemed to be all right with it, a part of them were still confused like she was. She sighed, and opened her door a crack slightly, and walked outside and down the hall. She yawned, and rubbed her eyes. She heard footsteps, and hid behind the corner of the hall, peeking to see who it was that was 'out for a stroll'. She looked out to see Li-san peek out, looking both ways before she went downstairs. Winry decided to snoop, and followed silently. As Li-san exited from the house, she quietly tip-toed to where Dante lived. About one mile away from the house she heard someone call to her.

"Stop right there Li!" Winry hissed and Li-san turned around with wide and surprised eyes.

"O-oh Winry-san! I was just--"

"Sneaking out of Miss Izumi's house? What are you up to Li?" Winry asked.

"N-nothing at all I just wanted to get some fresh air!" Li-san lied with a hysterical laugh as sweatdrops formed.

"I know that's not true Li. What are you really up to? Are you going to go find Dante? Shouldn't you wait for everyone else in the morning and not be a loner?" Winry asked.

"I have to find Dante now before anyone else. Winry go back to the house. Don't worry I won't be long." Li-san said with a smile, yet the way she was telling Winry this was stern and concerned for her safety.

"Don't worry? Now I know something's wrong... What's going on Li? What do you know that we don't?" Winry asked.

"I...I don't know anything I just want to go see her now. There's something I want to ask her that's all." Li-san said.

"Riiight. Go ask her in the middle of the night. Great plan! I know that's a lie Li-san. How many more lies do you and Hazel have huh?" Winry asked. Li-san was stricken hard by her question.

"What does that mean?" Li-san asked.

"Twice already, you've lied to us. How many more times will you lie before it all catches up with you?" Winry asked. Li-san was silent, and turned her back on Winry. Winry wasn't pleased with this, but then realized what she'd just said to Li. That must've been the worst time ever to ask. She gasped slightly out of surprise when Li answered that question.

"Yeah...we've lied twice but it was for a good reason. You can't possibly understand what Hazel and I are going through. Having no clue who we are, where we're really from, and how to get home! It's not easy at all!" Li-san shouted.

"How can we trust you Li? How can we trust both of you if you've already broken that trust twice. When you were telling Hazel how you might actually live on this side, panic struck me hard. This side? What other side could there possibly be? Am I fake? Real? Who am I?" Winry said.

"A side with no alchemy! A side where every person there is the other's counterpart! You may be afraid, and you may think it's just you, but everyone is feeling this way Winry and not just you!" Li-san shot back.

"How can I believe though, Li? When there's no proof...nothing. How can I believe that another world exists?" Winry asked.

"I don't know. Just...trust us. We should know if we came from that side. It's confusing for us. We just want to know who we are and where our home is. I'm going to Dante's... I'll be back later." Li-san said and before Winry could say anything Li-san left in a hurry. Winry stood there, not moving. Should she tell everyone where Li was going? What was so important that Li had to do this now?

"Gosh Li..." Winry said to herself and rushed after her.

Hazel tossed and turned in her bed, a dream began to take over. She was in the Real World, everyone was there. She was there as well, but no one seemed to have seen her. For that matter, even recognized her. They just passed her by as a stranger. She wondered what was going on, and then turned to see Li, Al, Ed, and Winry. On one side were Ed, Al, Li, and Winry, and on the other was all of her friends, her family, and her whole life. She couldn't help but think about which to pick. Stay in Fullmetal World, or return to the Real World. Wasn't returning to their world what Hazel wanted in the first place? Now that she thouht about it, it had been so much fun living here that she had almost completely forgotten about the life outside of this one. It was hard to choose now since Hazel had time to think, and she started to become confused with her decision. She heard an eery voice shatter her dream, and it turned into a nightmare.

_"Do you want to go home?"_ the voice asked.

"Who's there?!" Hazel immediately shouted.

_"Do you want to go home?" _the voice repeated itself.

"Y-yes..." Hazel answered.

_"Are you sure?"_ the voice asked.

"Well..." Hazel hesitated.

_"You don't want to go home?"_ the voice asked.

"I do!" Hazel said sternly.

_"You don't want to stay here?" _the voice asked.

"I...I do like it here but I want to go home." Hazel said.

_"Home. What is home? Is it here? Or is it where you were before?" _the voice asked. Suddenly, in front of her was a dark figure with only a smile on it's face.

"I..I don't know. Home is where my friends are... where my family are... Where my life is." Hazel answered slightly, afraid of what was before her.

_"So you really want to go home? How do you know that is your home? How do you know that the Real World is actually real? It could be fake."_ it said to her.

"I don't know... Lately, I've been questioning myself... I mean, after what Li told me how we might actually've been born here.. It's gotten complicated. That's why both of us are getting answers tommorowing morning." Hazel answered. She couldn't believe this. She was having a conversation with something that wasn't real! It was creepy.

_"Are you sure that your friend hasn't gotten a head start?"_ the voice asked in a taunting voice and Hazel woke up instantly, shooting up from her bed. She realized that she was sweating, and rushed out of her room and quietly went to Li's. She knocked quietly on the door once, twice, three times and still no answer.

"Psst! Li! It's me Hazel! Can I come in?" Hazel opened the door, to see no one there. She began to worry. The voice inside her dream, was it right? Had Li already left for Dante? At this hour?! Hazel rushed to Winry's room next, and saw no one there at all. She began to panic now, and she rushed to Ed and Al's room bursting through to see Al sit up with a surprised look. Ed was snoring.

"Al! Ed! Wake up! Winry and Li-san aren't here!" Hazel shouted.

"Whaa?... What are you talking about Hazel?" Ed asked as he got out of bed. Hazel couldn't help but turn red in the face as she looked down at the floor, trying to hold in a giggle. Ed looked confused as his eyes narrowed, and then he looked down.

"Oh geez!" he cried and hid behind Al. Ed was shirtless which showed that he was really fit and strong for a boy his age (making Hazel blush beet red), and was only wearing his white boxers. As he quickly put on his outfit, he asked Hazel what was wrong.

"I told you! Li and Winry are gone! I think they went to Dante's!" Hazel exclaimed.

"WHAT?! C'mon we gotta get there and fast!" Ed said and as he went to open the door, he was flung back as it was opened by a foot who gave him the one-hit KO.

"HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO GET SOME PEACE AND QUIET AROUND HERE?!" Izumi yelled angrily. She then noticed that Hazel looked extremely worried.

"Hazel? What's wrong has something happened?" Izumi asked.

"It's Winry and Li. They're not here I think they went to go and find Dante." Hazel explained.

"Go and find Dante? At this hour? That's really strange..." Izumi said and scratched her chin.

"Teacher, why would they go at this hour of the night?" Al asked after he got Ed to his feet.

"I don't know. Hazel, do you have an idea of why they would go see Dante now?" Izumi asked.

"Well, Li-san was acting really strange when I told her we'd be visiting Dante. But I don't know why she'd just up and leave in the middle of the night." Hazel answered.

"Hmmm... Only one way to find out." Izumi said and all of them went out to find the two missing girls. Sig and Mason were still sleeping, so they were left behind with a note.

Li-san kept running into branches all the way to Dante's house. She even tripped about three times on random twigs and roots that were uplifted.

"AH! Why do I have to be the only one doing this?.. I mean, I should have just told them but still, I can't be certain until I confirm it!" Li-san muttered to herself. Suddenly, she heard a rustle behind her. She clapped her hands and transmuted a sword. She pointed it to where the sound was coming from.

"Show yourself!" Li-san commanded and put her sword down abruptly when she saw Winry jump up.

"Uh...Hi, Li." Winry said in a squeak.

"Winry-san? What in the world are you doing here?! I told you to go back!" Li-san cried angrily.

"I wanted to know what you were going to do to Dante when you got to her house." Winry answered simply.

"I wasn't going to do anything! Just some snooping...that's all." Li-san answered sheepishly.

"What won't you tell us Li? I'm sure we'd understand or something just please tell me what's wrong!" Winry pleaded. Li-san just sighed with a huff.

"Fiiiiine. Okay...so here's the deal. Back when I was fighting War... when he was dying he told me that, they were sent to kill us and to destroy us. I asked who...and he answered saying, 'Some lady by the name of Dante'." Li-san explained.

"Li! So you're saying that you think this Dante is the Dante that War was talking about?" Winry asked and Li-san nodded.

"That's so stupid Li!" Winry burst. "There are probably hundreds of people by the name of Dante! For all we know it might be someone named Dante of the-- of the Woods for all we know and not the Forest! Maybe even...maybe even the desert!" she exclaimed.

"I don't know Winry-san.. I just have this sinking feeling..." Li-san replied and walked on. Winry followed quickly, and the two pressed on to Dante's. When they neared the end of the forest, they saw a huge house before them! More like a mansion.

"Okay...here's the plan. You stay here with this sword just in case to protect yourself while I'll sneak in the house, look around, make sure that I'm wrong, and then I'll come back and we can leave." Li-san said.

"That's the dumbest plan I've ever heard." Winry said with her eyes narrowed, and Li just quietly tip-toed to the front door, hoping to sneak up. When she actually reached the front door, it opened to have a girl wearing a maid's dress that had short black hair and dark eyes stare at her.

"Hello there. Misstress Dante has been expecting you. She usually has visions of people who want to meet her. It's a pleasure meeting you Miss Li-san. Do come in, and invite your friend while you're at it." the girl said with a bow. Li-san couldn't help but have her eye twitch.

"Uhhhh...Suuuuure? C'mon Winry-san!" Li-san motioned and Winry quickly rushed inside, giving Li-san her transmuted sword. When the two walked inside, the door closed with a bang. Outside, two pairs of purple eyes stared at the house.

"Geez...why do we have to stay out here? It's not like Dante is going to care whether or not we kill them here and now. Especially when they know her secret." a voice said with irritation.

"Calm down Envy, it's not the end of the world. You'll get your chance at killing these fools later on. For now just be patient." another voice said.

"Lust, we should have never trusted War. He seemed to peaceful as it already was. He's already given away everything we've worked for. I say we just go in there and kill her while we have the chance. And that other girl since she's learned too." Envy said with a huff.

"Bad idea. What would we do about Lyra then? You know Dante wants to use her as another soul transfer so she can live forever. It's what she's always done anyways. I mean, she is the one who's helping us with our goal after all. All we have to do is bring the alchemists to her, and we'll get our wish. I hear you want revenge on Hoenheim too. You have any clue where he could be at a time like this if he's heard about everything involving us?" Lust couldn't help but say.

"You know I hate talking about that scum Lust, you just like saying it to annoy me, huh?" Envy said with a hiss. Envy then shrugged. "Besides, if I ever told that old hag I wanted to get rid of that bastard she'd send me back to the Gate." Lust couldn't help but sigh as she threw her hands in the air dramatically.

"When the time comes you'll be able to get your revenge. For now just be patient. Like Wrath here, you could learn a thing or two from him." Lust said and turned to the boy.

"Ed's gonna pay... He took away momma... I'm going to take away his soul." Wrath hissed, and Envy and Lust couldn't help it but laugh evily. In seconds, the three homunculi raced through the forest, spotting four figures in the distance.

"Time to have some fun." Envy said with a smirk and they quickened their pace to welcome their 'friends'.

Izumi, Ed, Al, and Hazel walked silently up the dark path that was surrounded by big oak trees that only seemed to be like shadow creatures that made Hazel flip out. She clung on to Ed for dear life.

"Uh...Hazel? Something wrong?" Ed asked. Izumi stopped walking and turned around to see Hazel shaking in fear as she clutched on to Ed's arm like a parasite. Al turned too, waiting to see what would happen next.

"I hate dark and scary places like these! Especially during the middle of the night! Why did Li and Winry have to go now during the middle of the night!?" Hazel cried.

"Oh calm down Hazel. You won't believe what Teacher made us do when we were little kids, training for alchemy." Ed said with a chuckle.

"Oh really Ed?! What'd she make you do?" Hazel asked curiously.

"Stay on a scary island where we spent 1 month on it. We had a visit with this giant dude too who kept attacking us. He wore this strange mask too, we never knew who that person was." Ed said with a nod.

"Oh that guy? Edward, that was Mason." Izumi said with a laugh.

"Mason huh? Hm... (o.O) MASON?! TEACHER! YOU SENT MASON OUT TO GET US?! WHEN WE GET BACK TO THAT ISLAND I'M GONNA PULMERIZE HIM!" Ed roared.

"Now now Brother, it wasn't that bad. At least Mason didn't kill us." Al said with a small laugh.

"Still!" Ed wailed.

"Haha. Come on, all of you. We still have a long ways to go before we get to Dante's. I have a feeling that already she knows that Li-san and Winry are here. Dante has always had those feelings when it came to visitors." Izumi said with a sweatdrop smile as the four pressed on deeper into the forest to where Dante lived.

"So umm...miss, how did Miss Dante know we were coming?" Li-san asked suspiciously.

"Misstress Dante is a very wise woman. She has this way of knowing things, that's why I look up to her as an alchemist." the girl said with a smile.

"So um, what's your name?" Winry asked as she watched the girl pour some tea for both of them.

"I'm Lyra." the girl said with a smile and walked away for a few moments. She poked her head out of the door saying that Dante would see them in a few moments. The two girls sat in silence.

"See Li? This doesn't seem so bad at all. Dante is a nice person." Winry said as she sipped her tea.

"I bet you anything that's what she wants us to think. Don't you think it was a little odd how she knew we were here? I mean...only physcics know that stuff." Li-san answered as she didn't dare touch the tea. For all she knew, it could be poisoned!

"Calm down Li. There's nothing wrong here. At least, I don't think there is." Winry said. When she was nearly finished with her tea, she couldn't help but smile suddenly. All of a sudden she seemed to be perky.

"Winry-san? Are you okay?" Li-san asked uncertain and Winry only smiled happily.

"I'm fine Li!" Winry said and guzzled down the last of her tea. Finally, in one sweep she dropped to the floor, out cold.

"Ohmygosh! Winry-san you've been drugged! WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!" Li-san spazzed shaking Winry harshly. All that she saw was Winry catching some late night z's. Panic struck, and she wondered if this was supposed to happen, if it was Dante's plan! Why didn't she warn Winry before about the tea?! Then again, Winry probably wouldn't believe her anyway. She turned abruptly to see Lyra standing in the doorway, a strange look on her face. Her smile was- weird, and her eyes seemed to be possessed as they stared into Li's eyes.

"Misstress Dante will now see you." she said and walked away down the hall as the door was left to swing to the south. When the door flipped back to the north and then foward again, Lyra was nowhere to be seen. Fear struck Li hard, and she only gulped slightly as she was brave enough to leave the sleeping out-cold Winry on the ground. Hopefully, nothing bad would happen to her.

The four alchemists walked down the path some more, almost nearing the center.

"How much farther is it Miss Izumi?" Hazel asked.

"Not far. Just up ahead." Izumi answered. Hazel couldn't help but sigh with relief, and then she gasped in surprise with a frown on her face as she saw three familiar beings surround her and her friends.

"Aw hell! It's you guys! When are you ever going to leave us alone in peace?!" Ed roared.

"Who are these people?" Izumi asked threateningly.

"What's this? No warm welcoming?" Envy said dramatically with a laugh.

"I came back Ed, for what's going to be miiiiiine." Wrath taunted. He looked at Izumi with hate in his eyes. Izumi looked at this child, and she felt some connection to it.

"Now now Wrath. I'm sure killing Fullmetal will be a dreadful thing, since they haven't obtained what they need." Lust said with a 'tsk tsk'.

"Although it would be a pretty cool sight to see, the little pipsqueak begging for mercy on his feet. I would so love to see that." Envy said with a bitter sound.

"Hazel! Teacher! Both of you get out of here! Brother and I will handle these guys, you need to go find Li-san and Winry!" Al said as he got into his fighting position. The two didn't argue, and rushed off as Al and Ed held off the homunculi.

"Who are those people Hazel?" Izumi asked.

"They're homunculi..." Hazel muttered under her breath. Izumi stopped abruptly, and turned back to see the child (Wrath) fight against Ed and Al. She clutched her stomach tightly.

"No..It can't be." Izumi said to herself and suddenly found herself hacking and spewing blood that splattered to the floor.

"Miss Izumi? What's wrong?!" Hazel asked in alarm as she bent down to Izumi trying to make her calm down from her coughing fit.

"That child... he's...he's my sin." Izumi managed to say through some gasps. Hazel's eyes went hide, and she turned to look at Wrath. How could Wrath be Izumi's unborn, dead, homunculous son? It wasn't possible...was it? Then again, Hazel never knew what happened to Izumi's failed experiment... Oh well, this was no time to ask! They were in extreme danger and they needed to get out as soon as possible to Dante's house.

"We'll worry about it later Miss Izumi, we gotta get outta here!" Hazel said and helped Izumi to her feet.

"But-"

"No buts! Your apprentices will handle everything! Right now we need to get to Dante's house." Hazel cried and the two ran to Dante's home.

Li-san walked down the long hallway, making her senses super alert in case of a surprise attack or something. She didn't even know where she was going it was so big! She could get lost in here forever! Then, all of a sudden, something hit her! A roaring pain filled her head, a piercing screech could be heard in her mind.

_"I'm here...come closer, dear..."_ a voice said inside her mind, almost hissing out the message. Just that word 'dear' made her stomach churn, making her want to throw up. She knew this screeching banshee voice was just taunting her, teasing her until she couldn't stand it anymore! Li-san looked around painfully, and found one door at the end of the long hallway. She started to walk to it slowly, and then painfully at a sprint as the screech inside her head grew louder, and **louder**, and **louder** until she felt like her eardrums would burst! She quickly opened the door and burst through, dropping to her knees as she sweat and breathed heavily, looking around the room. It was dark, almost no light except for a lamp near a desk. Li-san held her chest tightly, and then loosened her grip once she was able to actually breathe again. It all stopped when she heard a voice from the darkness.

"Welcome Li. Make yourself comfortable." the voice said. It was a calm voice, a quiet voice, a somewhat raspy voice, an evil voice. Li-san turned to see no one there.

"I'm over heeeeere." the voice said and Li-san turned to where the lamp was. She squinted her eyes, and then saw before her a old woman with gray hair, lines, and everything someone that old would have...no offense to her really.

"You're...Dante I presume?" Li-san asked warily.

"Well, it's what most people call me." Dante joked.

"I see...well um, Dante..." Li-san started.

"Ah-bup-bup! Now tell me Li, why are you here? Especially when it's only 1:00 in the morning." Dante asked, a smile on her face.

"Uh...well I um," Li-san began.

"Was it because you were suspicious about me?" Dante asked. Okay...that was creepy. Now Li-san definately knew that Dante was on to her.

"Uh...well-"

"Because I have you know, there shouldn't be anything suspicious about me, right?" Dante asked with a smile.

"Uh..."

"Isn't that right my dear Gluttony? There shouldn't be anything suspicious about me, right?" Dante cooed and out of the shadows were two white beady eyes, staring hungrily at Li.

"Y...You really are these homunculous's creator! But...how? You must be at least...thousands upon thousands of years old!" Li-san exclaimed. Dante could feel her eyebrow twitch slightly.

"How great of you to notice my age...brat." Dante said.

"Tell me Dante, how can you live this long?" Li-san challenged.

"It is because of the stone. The Philosopher's Stone. The that I, and my love Hoenheim, created." Dante hissed bitterly with a bitter smile on her scrawny face.

"Hoenheim?! You mean Hoenheim Elric?!" Li-san cried. Dante gritted her teeth.

"Well, I call him Hoenheim. He was once known as the great Hoenheim of Light but now... he's in hiding. He's like me, living for thousands of years through souls until they start to fade. After that, we dispose of our old bodies and find new ones, being reincarnated into them. And so, we live on forever." Dante explained.

"You sick, twisted, old lady!" Li-san spat.

"Now now, is that any way to talk to your elders? I think I should have my Gluttony teach you a lesson, isn't that right dear?" Dante asked, and Gluttony obeyed. Okay...there was a time for fighting, and a time for running. In Li's case-- _'RUN FOR MY SCRAWNY LITTLE LIFE!'_ Li burst through the door, having Gluttony chase her down like an animal! Dante could only laugh as she faded into the darkness once more. Already she had noticed some changes with her current body, and was feeling a little bit uneasy...realizing it was time to transfer her soul once more into the perfect woman's body, and in this case, Lyra was her next victim.

Hazel and Izumi panted for breath as they finally reached the entrance of Dante's home. Izumi looked back, and could still hear the clinking of metal, the sounds of blood splattering to the ground, the laughter coming from the boy's mouth, a maniacle one.

Izumi stood up from her crouching position, and gave Hazel a stern look.

"I never thought that homunculi would exist...especially so close to Dante. There might be a reason to why they're here now...and a reason to why Li-san took off tonight. I want you to go ahead and check it out for me. I'm heading back to help my students." Izumi said.

"B-but Miss Izumi! Ed and Al said-"

"It's my decision Hazel. I'm an adult, remember?" Izumi said calmly, and walked off as Hazel watched her. She thought inside her head if she should stop Izumi, and wondered what would happen if she didn't. Would Izumi be able to handle this with Ed and Al by her side with her illness? There was no time to think about that because Hazel had heard a scream for **"HELLLLLLLLLLLLLP!"** coming inside the mansion! That voice...it sounded like---LI! _'Ohmygoh! Li I'm comin!'_ Hazel thought and rushed inside the mansion, not giving another second thought about Izumi's decision.

Li-san ran like a wild girl down the halls, her eyes were bulged pretty big and she didn't dare look back! Gluttony was hot on her trail, his mouth wide open as he laughed while loggily chasing her down. _'How can someone so fat like tubby be able to keep up!? It's just not possible! Is it?...'_ Li-san thought to herself and rounded a sharp corner, making her cloth rip slightly on her right arm. For another time she was glad she had automail. If it had been on the left she would have had to cry like a baby...and that wouldn'tve been a good time doing it with someone who was a maniac chasing her down to eat her alive. She gasped heavily, starting to slow her pace with Gluttony getting closer!

"Stop running! Meat! I WANT MEAT!" Gluttony couldn't help but say and Li-san thought she was gonna burst into sweatdrops at the sight of Gluttony's face lighting up as she began to lose her fast speed. She kept on running though, and rounded one more corner before seeing stairs!

"YES! STAIRS! SEE YA TUBBY!" Li-san roared and she rushed to the stairs and jumped all the way down with force! Gluttony followed and he jumped too! When Li-san landed, she looked up and saw Gluttony's shadow over her. Her eyes went wide, and she tumbled out of the way as Gluttony made a crater where he landed. Li couldn't help but have her eye twitch.

"MEEEEAAAAAT." Gluttony couldn't help but say as he started to walk toward her, his grubby hands ready to pounce and hold her down.

"You want meat?! I'll give you meat!" Li-san cried and clapped her hands and transmuted a---cow?! With glasses on?! _'Thank goodness I play the Fullmetal Alchemist games... I just loved it when I got to transmute stuff into Hiromo Arakawa in her cow form with the cool glasses! Too bad this one doesn't have a glass filled with poisoness bubbles...'_ Li-san thought with a grumble and rushed off as Gluttony stared at the cow in curiousity. It started to move on the wheels Li made it, and Gluttony couldn't help but digest all of it! There was a mechanical "Moooooooo-errrrr..." noise as it was completely demolished inside of Gluttony. Gluttony smiled, but his stomach wasn't satisfied. Oops, he had said to himself. He'd lost track of Li! He sniffed, got her scent, and went to look for her.

"H-Hello?" Hazel squeaked as she she opened the door as it creaked. She looked around, and saw nobody. She walked into the kitchen, and looked around. She gasped as she saw a body on the floor.

"Winry!" Hazel cried and helped Winry up. Winry had eventually woken up, but was too lazy to _get_ up.

"Ha-Hazel? What are you doing here?" Winry asked as she held her head slightly.

"Looking for you and Li. What happened to you Winry?" Hazel asked, concerned.

"Ugh. I shoulda listened to Li... The tea must've been filled with sleeping stuff.." Winry mumbled.

"What? Where's Li? Is she all right? What's going on?!" Hazel asked in alarm.

"Li must be somewhere else... She told me that Dante of the Forest was the one who created the homunculi..." Winry said.

"Created them?... I get it! So they got these forms because of Dante... At first the failed experiments were just..._things_.." Hazel said with a snap. Okay, she felt guilty to call the homunculi failed experiments, but still that _was_ what they were. As she helped Winry to the table, Winry rested a little more and then was alert. So was Hazel, because both of them had just heard footsteps. They were getting pretty louder too. Hazel clapped her hands silently, and was ready to transmute something dangerous. As the footsteps were so close, the door to the kitchen burst open and Hazel was wide in the eyes.

"LI!" Hazel cried.

"HAZEL?! WINRY-SAN!" Li-san panted and rushed over.

Ed and Al were having a rough time fending off all of the homunculi, but did their best. Al was fighting against Envy and Lust, while Ed had his shot with Wrath.

"Come on kid give it a rest! There's no way you'll become human by takin my arm and leg!" Ed said angrily.

"How do you know? You just don't want to be wrong!" Wrath challenged.

"Aw hell with this! Last warning, take it or leave it!" Ed said and clapped his hands. He transmuted his spear, and to his surprise Wrath had one as well.

"But--how?"

"How? Isn't it obvious? I can do alchemy because of your arm and leg." Wrath said with an evil smile. Ed's eyes went wide. As Wrath was about to attack though, the ground shot up, and pillars of stone pierced through all the homunculi's flesh. They screamed in pain, and Ed and Al looked to see their teacher walking up casually, clapping her hands once more. She placed them on the ground and the ground beneath the homunculi began to crumble, sending them into the darkness. She finally reached them, and they just stared at her blankly.

"Looked like you were having a hard time. I came to help." Izumi said quietly.

"Teacher... You should be with Hazel!" Ed scowled.

"Ed, that child is my sin. I came to help you, and to correct my own mistake." Izumi explained.

"Oh Teacher.." Ed said quietly, his voice was filled with sorrow.

"It's all right. My alchemy won't hold them off for long, be prepared." Izumi said and all three of them got into position. Soon enough, all three of the homunculi shot out of the ground, angered looks on their faces.

"Come on! Is THAT the best you can do?!" Envy taunted with a laugh.

"Let's show these alchemists what we really can do." Lust said with a smile.

"I'm not finished with you Ed!" Wrath said, but couldn't help it and notice Izumi. Perhaps she would go first. After all, with his memories back he realized that it was that woman that had made him this way, and he regretted it with all of his life. "But first...I'll take care of you first..." he muttered under his breath, and Izumi seemed to have heard and completely understood, getting ready for the fight of her life.

"Hazel! Thank goodness! Winry you're up! How are you feeling?" Li-san asked, breathing heavily.

"Better..." Winry muttered.

"What's going on Li? Are you okay?" Hazel asked. Li-san blinked for a moment, and poured anything on her in the kitchen, to have her scent away.

"Sssshh." Li-san said, and the three were absolutely silent. Li-san clapped her hands silently so nothing could be heard, and looked over her tea. It was still there. If she could make a hose out of it, she'd probably have Gluttony sleeping like a baby in no time! She placed them on the tea cup and it transmuted with the cup to form a hose with a lifetime support of sleeping tea. Hazel was going to ask, but Li-san shook her head no. Suddenly, big and strong footsteps could be heard.

"Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. Where are you?" Gluttony asked outside, sniffing. He didn't find her scent anywhere, and moved on. He stopped once though, his shadow right at the door. Everyone on the other side started to sweat out of fear and panic, but relaxed when the shadow went away. Li-san sighed, and took a step outside.

"Gluttony drink this!" Li-san couldn't help but scream and Gluttony charged. When this happened Li-san sent a spray of sleeping tea. Gluttony drank all of it and started to sluggishly come foward.

"Liii...Meeeaatt..." he said drowsily, and in moments he was asleep. Hazel and Winry came out, and were surpised at what they saw.

"Phew... Come on follow me Hazel. Winry find a safe place to hide and don't come out, okay?" Li-san said and Winry nodded, hiding somewhere in a closet nearby. As Hazel and Li-san took off, Li-san had a lot of explaining to do for Hazel, and made her up to date as they ran to Dante's room. It was about a couple of minutes later that both Hazel and Li were going in circles.

"I think it was that way..." Li-san mumbled.

"Liii! We've already been down there!" Hazel groaned.

"I'm pretty sure it was that way!" Li-san cried and the two rushed on. Soon enough, they had reached a door at the end of the hallway. They burst through it, and looked around.

"I'm back! With an ally too Dante so give it up!" Li-san roared.

"You're back now are you? With a friend? It's not nice to be rude Li." Dante said with a sweet voice.

"Stop playing tricks! Come out here so I can kick your old, pruney, little behind!" Li-san shot back. There was no reply, a little bit of silence, and then Hazel spoke up with her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Wow Li...that was really harsh." Hazel couldn't help but say.

"WELL! SHE'S LIKE! THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD!" Li-san protested.

"Enough about my age... let's talk about alchemy, and about yourselves..." Dante said through a mere whisper, almost sounding like a threat. The two girls gasped, did she know about them too? Before they could say a word Dante interrupted them.

"Here's what I know. Both of you did human transmutation and failed. The cost was too much for you and you both were sent to The Gate. It was there you met Truth, and it was there you were sent to the other side of The Gate where alchemy didn't exist and only science and dreams of alchemy took place. You grew up there for the remainder of your lives, your parents were the counterparts of the ones you tried to revive on this side. When you had arrived on the Other Side your memories of this life were erased and you lived happily and content. Then one day, you performed alchemy and came here, changing the history of when you left. You were able to regain the memories from this side, but now you have questioning yes? It seems like I've answered your questions, haven't I? Is it not enough for you? What will happen when you leave? I don't know, but I don't like it. Creatures like you should be dealt with quicker." Dante said in a hissing tone. Li-san couldn't help but feel a vein pop.

"Hazel...did she just call us creatures?" Li-san repeated irritably.

"I think she did." Hazel answered, cracking her knuckles.

"Have I made both of you angry? What are you going to do hm?" Dante taunted them.

"We're going to kick your butt is what we're gonna do!" Hazel roared.

"That's what I like to hear!" Li-san chanted and clapped her hands to transmute a spear while Hazel transmuted a sword.

"CHARGE!" the two cried and attacked the only slim light they saw of Dante. She instantly dodged, and they were both engulfed by darkness as the light shattered.

"Oh great! This is just great!" Li-san moaned.

"It was your fault you tripped and broke the light!" Hazel roared.

"Don't blame my clumsiness!" Li-san spat. Suddenly, there was a bonking noise and a squeal erupted.

"OW! Li that was my head you just whacked!" Hazel muttered with a hiss.

"Oh I'm sorry Hazel, I couldn't see in the dark. I actually thought I had hit the desk instead of your head." Li-san couldn't help but say with a giggle.

"Li... Don't make me regret coming here. We need to defeat Dante here and now but to do that we need light." Hazel said.

"You know, she can probably hear us. But you're right, we do need to get rid of her before she causes anything else to go wrong. You here that Dante?! We're gonna defeat you good!" Li-san shouted in the darkness.

"Way to go Li...way to go... Now, for a plan--" Hazel started and made sure to whisper it in Li's ear.

"OOOOOOOOOOH! DAT'S A GOOD PLAN! SHOULD I LIKE THEN!---MMPH!" (Li)

"SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH!" (Hazel)

As Izumi, Ed, and Al continued to have their raging battle against the remaining homunculi, Izumi began to have her coughing fit again.

"Teacher! Al we gotta get out of here and somewhere safe!" Ed said and Al took Izumi in his arms as the two ran. They disappeared into the forest, the dark green began to sink and they were no where to be seen.

"This'll be fun. I can't wait to go on a hunting spree. Finding that little pipsqueak will be no easy task, but that armor will be easy to track by it's footsteps." Envy said as he licked his lips.

"That woman, I want to kill her... and Ed, I want his body! I want to be human!" Wrath practically shrieked.

"Relax Wrath. You'll have your chance. Right now, have fun with finding Fullmetal and his comrads. Envy, you come with me back to Dante. I have a feeling she's in need of our assistance." Lust said. Envy pouted for a moment, but agreed. The two rushed to Dante's home while Wrath jumped from tree to tree in search of Ed, Al, and Izumi.

"Teacher, are you all right now?" Al asked calmly as Izumi finally got ahold of her coughing. Ed was on alert duty, but walked over to Izumi as she stood up."I'm all right Ed... We have to get rid of those homunculi before it's too late. I know one weakness of theirs, and I have one right here..." Izumi said and pulled out a small, little pouch.

"Teacher? What is that?..." Ed dared to ask.

"It's some remains...of my deceased son. Homunculi become imobilized if in contact with a possession that belonged to them in their past life. This will help me to be able to destroy my sin, and possibly, purify his soul.." Izumi said as she closed her eyes painfully.

"Teacher... You're right about one thing. We need to get rid of these homunculi once and for all, it's the only way. After that we can go and find Winry and Hazel and Li. This is what I propose." Ed said and told about his plan. As Ed and his group were preparing themselves to fight against the awaiting Wrath, Li-san and Hazel were preparing their plan to defeat Dante. Would they work? Would it succeed? Was it even a good plan at all? It all came down to this. Tonight would be the end for both the homunculi and for their creator.

A man with gray hair wearing sunglasses came to the scene, hands in his pockets. He looked up at the sky, it was still dark and cloudy. He then looked at the path before him. _'My brother...why is it that I have been drawn here? Is it because of her?'_ Scar thought and took out a locket his brother had given to his love. Scar had a feeling he was brought here because of her, because of what she was now. A homunculous by the name of Lust. Was he brought here to heal her, to kill her? Whatever the cause was, he wouldn't stop until he found answers. _'I also sense Fullmetal...and Soulfire as well as her friend.. What are they doing here?'_ Scar thought and pressed on into the forest to find Lust as she was making her way to Dante's house.

A few miles away from the forest, another man had arrived. This man though wore glasses, and had yellow hair in a long ponytail. He looked up at the forest before him, for he was at the entrance. He could feel the creator of the homunculi as she was beginning to fade in her body. He grimaced, and walked to where her house was. Who was this man? What part would he play in all of this? Only time would tell, until then he was just a mystery.

A/N: okay! i'm gonna leave off here too. i think u all know who the mystery men are too (if u don't then...u're just slow lol) . anyways, the next chapter will be the last chapter that dante and the homunculi will be in. It is entitled: Chapter 15: The End of Dante and the Homunculi . Yea, so that's y they shall be in one more chapter cause it's my story. I will give u a hint, after chapter 15 there will probably only be 3 more chapters left. so yea, that's pretty much all the hinters i'm gonna give lol. o yea, plz leave a review, thank you everyone for lovin this story it's been a blast for me, and umm... Tune in to Chapter 15 next saturday guys! -Em


	15. Gettin Rid Of The Homunculi and Dante

A/N: Sorry for the long wait ev'ryone! see i forgot that last saturday we'd be visitin my relatives, and we'd be staying there for saturday night. also i didn't get any time on sunday to post, so anyways yea, at least today i got it up and runnin (since it's halloween!)! Now i will say this isn't a really really long chapter cause the story is winding down (sad to say there are only 3 more chappies left) but this will give you chills when you read it. i must say it could be best read in the evening but whatever lol. at least, that's what i think but yea whatevuh lol. it has some surprises in it too so be aware of that :) anyways, Happy Reading everyone!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own FMA or any of it's characters. I only own Li, Hazel, and War and Hate and that's it!

**Special Guests:** Hoenheim of Light, Dante, and Scar

**Surprise(s):** CHARACTER DEATH? perhaps... o.o (don't let this almost unbelievable if true surprise stop u from readin this chapter! u'll regret it if u don't read it, i should know i'm the author! lol)

**Chapter 15: Getting Rid Of The Homunculi and Dante Once and for All**

As Hazel and Li-san finally got everything straight through whisper, they closed their eyes and clapped their hands. At least they knew where the floor was as they bent down and placed them on the ground. They knew in their head what they had created, and with a push of the button flames erupted out of their weapons.

"Oooooh yeah! Burn baby burn!" Li-san couldn't help but laugh maniacally as her flames blasted out of the weapon, making it almost burn things in site.

"Li we're not Satan you know! YOU COULD KILL US IN HERE!" Hazel couldn't help but scold in a shriek. _'So what have I learned here? Oh that's right, never give Li anything that's considered a flaming weapon!' _Hazel thought inside her head as a sweatdrop formed.

"S-sorry Ane-san!" Li-san apologized as she lowered the volume of flame coming out of her weapon. They pointed it upwards, and then held their other weapons in hand. Okay, so they could see...BARELY.

"Oookay...so what do we do now?" Li-san asked impatiently.

"Just be patient Li. Gosh." Hazel sighed dramatically. Li-san pouted, and then took two steps foward and swung the flames around in a circle to see if anyone besides Hazel was in reach. She saw something receed back into the darkness and swung with all of her might at the direction to the left. There was nothing but a thud heard, and Li-san couldn't help but mutter under her breath.

"What was that about?" Hazel asked.

"I thought I saw something. Hey Hazel, let's try and make it to the door." Li-san suggested and they heard a click. Hazel narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Any other plans genius?" Hazel asked. Li-san sweatdropped.

"Uh...umm... I don't know really this is as far as I got in my bright ideas." Li-san said with a slight chuckle. Hazel bonked her on the head.

"NO TIME FOR JOKES! THIS IS SERIOUS!" Hazel roared.

"HEY!" Li-san barked. "I WAS BEING SERIOUS! You thought my plans weren't bright ideas?" Li-san sniffled right after.

"DON'T MAKE ME WHACK YOU AGAIN!" Hazel roared, getting her fist ready as Li waved her hand in the air.

"Okay okay! Yeesh.. Here's what I propose. We charge on three with our burning candles in hand and swing at anything besides us." Li-san suggested.

"That's your brilliant idea?" Hazel asked and Li-san nodded. Hazel shrugged, and agreed with a sigh. On three they charged, and swung at objects, books, shelves, anything to make sure they weren't targets. They stayed close while knocking over books, shelves, dishes, plates, and other breakable items. (a/n: note the flames were in the weapon and not actually out, otherwise they'd burn the place down /sweatdrop/) _'If they break one more thing, I swear, I'm going to kill them here and now before I can have any fun with them...'_ Dante thought in her head in the darkness as she rolled her eyes, one still twitching constantly.

* * *

Ed and Izumi stayed where they were, waiting for Wrath to come find them. They heard some rustle in the distance, and prepared themselves. Ed transformed his automail to it's sword mode. There was a few more rustles before... 

"FOUND YOU! NOW YOU'RE MINE!" Wrath jumped from the bushes and landed with a thud, a crazy look on his face with that maniacle smile still there. He took one step foward, and then prepared himself as he transmuted a spear. He looked directly at Ed, and then found himself staring wide eyed at Izumi. He gritted his teeth and could almost feel them grinding together in rage.

"But not until I kill you..." he muttered and charged at Izumi.

"Come on. I dare you." Izumi couldn't help but say as she placed her hands on the ground, transmuting the earth around her as a protective shield for herself. Wrath just swung wildly at it, cracking anywhere that he could.

"Is that it?! Oh please! You're making death so easy!" Wrath laughed.

"Forgetting someone?! NNRAGH!" Ed roared as he swung down on Wrath. Wrath screamed in pain when the harsh metal connected with his shoulder, and down to his flesh. He receeded and took a few steps back to look at his wound. Blood, now dripping onto the ground could be seen. Wrath looked from his wound, to Edward with his eyes in it's slit form.

"I guess you want to die first." Wrath said and charged at Ed, using his spear to slice away at Ed's metal. Al in the meantime, was somewhere in the forest. In his hands were chalk, and he seemed to be drawing something. _'I hope Brother and Teacher are all right. Hang on you guys, I'm almost finished...'_ Al thought as he made sure the lines were visible, and everything was in detail.

* * *

Hazel and Li-san finally grew tired, but kept their guard up. 

"I'm beat..what do we do now?!" Li-san panted.

"I dunno..." Hazel said and then made the light a little bit brighter.

"Why don't you fight us like a woman Dante instead of a weakling old hag?" Li-san said through grit teeth.

"It would ruin the fun my dear.." Dante teased through the darkness.

"Yuck...if someone ever calls me dear again back home, I'm gonna scream." Li-san said through a hiss. As they watched out for danger, they heard a transmutation sound and got ready to stay prepared. There was only laughter that could be heard, and suddenly a claw tentacle thingy (a/n: my own creation lol) shot out! It went straight between the girls, hit hard on a shelf, and then pulled out a few books. The force of it all made the shelf collapse. The two girls screamed, and only one was able to get away while the other was crushed beneath the hard wood. A name was screamed in alarm right after the event.

* * *

Ed continued to fight against Wrath with all of his might as metal clinked against metal. Izumi watched, and prepared when neccessary to pull out the remains of her son. As Ed was thrust to the ground with a thud, he grunted as Wrath came down with the spear to impale through flesh. Ed luckily managed to roll away and then backwards to land on his feet after doing a handstand with one arm and then recovering quickly, running so fast he managed to knock Wrath down as he lost his spear. Ed had his sword across Wrath's neck, and Wrath could only smile. 

"What's the matter Ed? Why hesistate when I'm right here?" Wrath asked with a grin. Ed couldn't attack, he knew that. It wouldn't solve anything at all really. He needed to wait for Al to finish the circle on the outside, and when that happened Izumi would use the remains to immobilize Wrath in his place. She could feel invisible tears run down her face, and thought about memories that could have been if she were strong enough, if her son was here. She could picture him as just an innocent infant, growing up in this world. She could see him learn, see him grow, see him laugh and smile. She immediately snapped out of her transe when she heard Ed cry as Wrath had transmuted his wrist into the ground and had a chunk of ground hit Ed straight on in the stomach with full force as he was flying up into the air. A thin line of blood made a trail onto the ground, and Ed landed on all fours, hands on the ground to support his body.

"Damn it all Alphonse... Hurry it up already.." Ed murmured as he sucked in some pain from that last attack. He saw Wrath make his way to him, and he watched helplessly as Wrath had created another weapon, and moved on to Ed. He stood over Ed with a smile on his face as he placed the sharp tip on Ed's chest.

"Now, should I begin with your heart? Or maybe your insides. Maybe even your arm or leg so that way I'd become human in no time. What do you suggest Edward?" Wrath teased, and then suddenly his face tightened in pain as he made his eyes look up to see Izumi holding something that was a little bit small, but still packed a major blast to Wrath. He stood there, paralyzed, not able to move.

"You! What-did-you-do-to-me?!" Wrath cried through an angered hiss.

"I made you immobilized. Now you can't attack my student. It'll take a lot more than your weapon to kill him anyways." Izumi said calmly.

"Teacher!" Ed said as he rolled away from Wrath's attack. He rushed over to Izumi, and grinned slightly.

"Boy am I glad you did something before he killed me! I thought I was a gonner!" Ed cried.

"Shut up." Izumi said sternly and Ed clamped his mouth shut.

"NRGH! Let-me-go!" Wrath wailed.

"I'm sorry... I can't do that. I'm sorry to have created you..." Izumi said silently. Wrath's eyes were filled with hate, Izumi could see it and she couldn't help but frown with a droplet of tears running down her face. Wrath seemed confused by this. Was she showing emotion to him? Would he let it affect him?

"S-stop it. What-are-you-doing?!" Wrath roared in anger as he tried to move.

"Please...forgive me. This is for your own good.." Izumi said with a frown.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Wrath cried and with all of his power, he tried to move anything! Finally, he was actually able to manage to move his arm, and he threw his spear with all of his might at Izumi. She stood there, bewhilderment and shock came over her.

"TEACHER!" Ed roared and knocked Izumi to the ground with him. The remains flew into the air, and in seconds it was completely demolished by Wrath's alchemy. He laughed, and then raced at both of them. Out of nowhere though he was tackled to the side, and there stood Al.

"Teacher! Brother are you okay?!" Al cried.

"We're fine Al. Looks like we'll need a new plan.. Dammit all, and it was working so well." Ed cursed.

"It's all right Ed. I'm sorry I must have gone overboard with him. We'll try something else." Izumi said sternly and stood up. This seemed to be harder than they thought.

* * *

Lust and Envy made their way to Dante's house, but were stopped abruptly by two people who blocked the entrance. One of them was Scar, while the other was the mystery man. Envy immediately gritted his teeth and snarled loudly, having to be held back by Lust. 

"YOU! YOU SCUM! YOU FINALLY SHOW YOUR FACE EH?! YOU BASTARD!" Envy cursed and screamed. The man just chuckled, his glasses giving off their shine, hiding his eyes.

"I see you know him." Scar said to the man and the man just nodded.

"You haven't changed a bit, Envy do you go by now?" the man asked.

"DON'T PRETEND YOU DON'T KNOW ME YOU SCUM! I WON'T FORGIVE YOU FOR YOU WHAT YOU DID! I WON'T! YOU'LL DIE BY MY HANDS AND MINE ALONE!" Envy roared.

"And what will killing me solve for you?" the man asked.

"You know damn well what." Envy spat as he settled down a bit. Scar ignored their little chat, and turned to face Lust who was staring at him. So, she did look like his brother's girlfriend... such a resemblence. He took a step foward and immediately Lust extended her fingernails.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Scar said and took out the locket. Lust stared at that locket in shock and surprise. She felt like she couldn't move, and stared into Scar's eyes in fear.

"So what are you going to do to me?" Lust asked. Envy saw his chance, and charged at the man.

"I'LL MAKE YOU PAY YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF DIRT!" Envy roared and punched and kicked. The man dodged every one of the attacks easily, and kicked Envy in the side. Envy fell with a thud, and then got back up again. He charged again, and yet again he was defeated. But he wouldn't give up, he wouldn't stop fighting. He was here, and now Envy wouldn't give up this chance at all! The man just sighed sadly.

"You really haven't changed Envy... You still hate me... I wish you'd forgive me." the man said.

"Like that pipsqueak and his brother have forgiven you?! Please!" Envy spat.

"My other sons...I accept their hatred. You Envy...there is, a _slight minor_ differenceI know it was wrong to have tried Envy, but..."

"BUT NOTHING!" Envy roared and continued his onslaught.

* * *

Li-san screamed Hazel's name in horror as she saw her friend underneath the heavy shelf. She desperately tried with all of her might to lift the shelf, but it was too heavy for her. Hot tears ran down Li's face as she tried even harder, but she could feel her automail begin to croak and moan in pain, her circuits getting all messed up. 

"HAZEL! HAZEL SPEAK TO ME!" Li-san cried as she saw her friend open her eyes slowly.

"Li-san...I'm all right... My back will probably hurt in the morning though..." Hazel said and fought a cough.

"N-no time for jokes.. I'm g-gonna get you out." Li-san said through stutters and sniffles as she tried with all of her might again. _'Come on...lift.. LIFT!' _Li-san thought and could feel her joints begin to start to get screwed up. Whatever, she needed to get Hazel out of there before her time was up! Li-san smiled in success when she felt the shelf begin to move, and soon enough Hazel crawled out of there. She managed to sit up, but still stiffle a yelp at the pain her back was in.

"Don't move around much Hazel, let me take care of this. That S.O.B is SO going to GET IT!" Li-san seethed.

"Li... I can fight I'm okay." Hazel and tried to stand. Once she was up, her back was killing her, but she knew it wasn't life threatening (a/n: idk if it is or not..but in this it isn't otherwise Hazel would die! x.x and i wouldn't want that T.T). Li-san looked uncertain, but nodded. They stared into the darkness, and could hear Dante's laugh.

"That was quiet a show I must say, but enough playing around. I could just kill you in seconds if I wanted to." Dante said in the darkness and laughed again.

"Stay on your toes Li...this could get dangerous." Hazel hissed and Li-san nodded, but then screamed as something grabbed onto her leg.

"HAZEL HELP!" Li-san cried as she dug her hands into the hard wood floor. Hazel cut off the claw tentacle thingy, but then saw more grabbing onto Li's legs.

"LI!" Hazel cried helplessly and held onto her best friend for life. Li-san screamed before she was carried off into the darkness, and Hazel stood put, too shocked and panicked to do anything. She only screamed loudly.

"LIIIIIIII!" Hazel cried and waited for a response. There was a moment of silence in the darkness, when all of a sudden an ear-splitting scream pierced through the room as a strange sort of sound was heard as something metal connected with flesh... Hazel had to cover her ears in pain and then cried out Li's name. There was on answer, and Hazel feared for the worst.

**"LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" **Hazel screamed and as she created a new flame thrower in hand, she rushed into the darkness where Li-san was carried off. _'Find her if you can...I wait to see your reaction..'_ Dante thought and then laughed out loud, creeping and angering Hazel out to the point where she felt she was going to burst.

* * *

Lust looked into Scar's eyes, they weren't showing any signs of hate or of war. They were peaceful, kind.. She felt herself begin to fluster. Why was this? 

"What are you going to do to me?" Lust asked again.

"Nothing... You remember your life before this, don't you? The happiness you spent with my brother." Scar said softly. Lust nodded. Scar brought his tattooed arm up, and placed it on her stomach. She felt chills run down her spine. His other hand held the locket, and he put it on her extended finger. She cringed slightly, and she watched as he drew a transmutation circle, one to finish her off and send her to the Other Side. He looked up at her, and smiled slightly.

"I never in my life admitted when he was still alive... but I loved the love of his life... What do you say? You take my life away and I take yours, that way we can both go to the Other Side together." Scar said and Lust did smile back as she nodded. Scar removed the locket and she regained mobility, waiting for his signal. He made his tattoo glow, but waited. He nodded, and at the same time her claws impaled his chest as he obliterated her stomach. Blood splattered onto the transmutation circle, and though it was hard to Scar bent down and activated the circle, the locket still in his hands. He looked at Lust and she looked at him, and when they were both fading to the Gate they kissed. Instantly, they were gone, swept away to The Gate. It was there that their fate would be decided...

"STAND STILL DAMMIT!" Envy cursed as he threw more punches and kicks. The man just sighed, and then pinned Envy down, quickly clapping his hands in the process.

"Forgive me son...I still have unfinished business here.. I don't have time to stay here." the man said and placed his hands on Envy's back. Envy screamed and writhed in pain, and his screams pierced through the forest.

"WHAT-ARE-YOU-DOING-TO-ME!?" Envy screamed. He tried to transform into something, anything that would work! He finally succeeded, but it was too late. His transformation led him and the man to The Gate. Envy was taken there by the black hands that reached out to take him away.

"NOOO!" Envy screamed as The Gate doors closed with a loud noise. The man returned to the entrance of Dante's house, and opened his eyes. "I only asked for your forgiveness my son... It was all I could ask for at this point. I'm sorry.." the man said to himself and raced inside the house. He had heard the screams of two girls inside, and wondered what Dante had planned for them. He raced inside, and found Gluttony still asleep. Just in case, he placed his hands on Gluttony's forehead and made Gluttony sleep more, a dream taking over the homunculous's mind.

"There now rest some more.." he said with a smile, and finally he sent Gluttony to The Gate. There was no moan from the glutton, nothing. He just went there peacefully and finally shrilly awoke in The Gate, wondering where he was, where Lust was. Back at Dante's place, the man opened his eyes to hear a door creek open. He saw a pair of light blue eyes staring at him slightly. He walked over, and saw Winry there.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"W-Winry... Please sir you've got to help my friends! Already I've heard them scream and I..I-"

"Sssh. It's all right Winry. I will go assist your friends. In the meantime, go find Edward and Alphonse and tell them that all of the homunculi up to Wrath have been taken care of." the said and without another word rushed upstairs. Winry obeyed, but when she got outside she was left in astonishment. _'How did he know Ed and Al were here?! Wait a--wasn't that their DAD?!'_ Winry thought and rushed off to find Ed and Al to tell them the news.

* * *

"LI! LI! ANSWER ME!" Hazel screamed as she looked at the ground with her flame thrower. She stopped when she saw a pale hand and part of an arm on the ground, spots of blood surrounded it. Hazel's heart seemed to skip a beat as she moved her light to the left. She gasped in horror when she saw the limp body before her. It was Li's, blood covered her stomach where the weapon took her life. Hazel felt tears rush down her face. She knelt down, but before that transmuted the flame thrower to be a flame lit a stand with the flame inside, burning brightly that it showed Li's body and Hazel's horrified face. 

"...Oh my god... LI!" Hazel screamed and placed Li's head on her knee while cradling her lifeless body. Hazel could feel anger rise, her bangs covered her eyes. She heard Dante's laugh.

"See what happens when you mess with me? I'm more powerful then you think." Dante said in the darkness.

"DANTE! WITH ALL OF MY POWER I WILL KILL YOU FOR THIS!" Hazel screamed.

"Fufufu... You really think you can kill me, when you can't even see me?" Dante asked teasingly. Hazel gritted her teeth when she turned back to look at Li, her eyes were not closed and all they showed were dull colored ones showing no emotion. Hazel closed them, and gritted her teeth even wider with frustration. There was a moment of silence. Finally, Hazel's angered frown disappeared, and a blank expression was on her face. Her eyes seemed to be fading away from their usual sparkling emerald color. She looked up to the darkness, a sad look on her face. Dante watched, puzzled slightly.

"Well?...Get it over with.." Hazel said silently.

"What was that dear?" Dante said sweetly.

"I said GET IT OVER WITH!" Hazel repeated herself in a shouting tone. "Do it! Kill me, I dare you." she added silently. With that, Dante showed herself with a laugh. She took one step into the light, and then Hazel saw Dante standing before her. Dante bent down to Hazel, and lifted the girl's chin with her own delicate, bony, fragile fingers.

"If you insist. I knew I would win by breaking you down..." Dante said with a smile.

"Just...get it over with... No more...NO MORE." Hazel muttered.

"My dear, this must have been horrible for you to see." Dante said with a smile and transmuted herself a weapon. She stood over Hazel now, and then bent low again.

"I'll give you a moment to say what you want dear, go on don't be shy. I'm patient, I have the time." Dante said with a smile. Hazel wanted to say something, but nothing came out of her mouth.

"No? Nothing at all? No regrets to having not been able to save your friend? It must be hard on you, to know you let her down as she lies there dead and cold on the ground." Dante rubbed it in bitterly. There was no answer, but Hazel was ready to give one. She opened her mouth. Dante smiled, ready to listen to what Hazel had to say.

* * *

As Ed continued to fight against Wrath, Al saw Winry running to them in the distance. 

"WINRY!" Al cried and Ed became distracted as he was punched in the face.

"PAY ATTENTION EDWARD!" Izumi cried as she helped him out. Winry rushed over, and told Al that Hoenheim was here. Al lit up, and with this new information he went to help his brother. When Wrath was on the verge of winning, he saw Al rushing to him and dodged. For some reason, he felt weak...why was that?

"What's going on...I feel weak... Damn.." Wrath cursed under his breath.

"It must be the others. They must've defeated the homunculi!" Ed cried in triumph.

"NO! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE! IT CAN'T BE!" Wrath cried bitterly. _'It just can't be true...Damn...'_ Wrath thought to himself and while he watched Ed, Al, and Winry gossip he rushed off into the forest. Ed, Al, and Winry gasped out of surprise. They didn't know why this was all of a sudden, and they didn't want to find out any time soon. They won this round, and that's all that really mattered. As Wrath rushed through the forest to somewhere safe, he thought inside his head, wondering why he ran like a coward.. In the back of his mind he knew why... because he was afraid that he'd be next.. The next one to go back to that dreaded Gate. He would never go back there, and if he had to wait to kill Izumi and Ed, he would until the right time came. Although, he felt like he couldn't hurt Izumi...for some reason in the back of his head he heard a voice saying to not kill her at all.. Why was that? Would he mature if he continued to think about this? It was only a matter of time.

* * *

"Well dear? I'm listening." Dante said and smiled as she picked up Hazel's chin a little so she could see Hazel's face and expression. Hazel didn't smile back for only a few minutes, but then she grinned menacingly. Dante took a step back, and then wondered in bewhilderment. 

"Actually...to tell you the truth since you want to know how I feel, it's not really affecting me at all." Hazel said, and wiped the tears away as she stood up in time to kick the weapon out of range for Dante to get. _'Damn..'_ Dante thought with a hiss.

"And now that you've shown yourself in the light..." a voice said in the distance, making Dante jump as she turned to see nothing. Hazel and Dante heard a clapping noise, and Dante was left wondering what would happen next. There was a moment of silence, and then something lit up the whole room as Dante began to fall on her knees, panting for breath. A transmutation circle lit up, and then in the corners so did four lit candles on stands. In one corner, Li-san walked over as she stood over a very pale and...well, dead basically, body of Li. The "not dead" Li was wearing silly googles (a/n: this is a joke cause i really know how to spell goggles, so those of u who get it this joke, good for u!) that were green for the frames, and she smiled happily while doing a peace sign.

"What?! I DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Dante gasped for breath.

"Simple really." Li-san said with a smile as she clapped her hands again, making sure Dante wasn't able to do anything involving alchemy, the wooden tiles became ropes that securily tied Dante up so she wouldn't be able to move at all. She was, and the two stared down at her a little bit of some inches away from her.

"This was our plan all along. When Li-san and I made the flame throwers, Li-san also made herself night vision goggles and a real-life model of herself. This Li here who's dead is just a model, nothing real actually." Hazel said with a shrug. Li-san clapped her hands again, and then placed them on the body. It was transmuted into something entirely different! Before Dante was now a naaaah! version of Li sticking her tongue out, her eyes narrowed. (it's sorta like Ed's version of the thingy he transmuted when he fought against Mustang as a decoy).

"Also, I knew you _really really_ hated Li, so what we needed you to do was..well, kill her and then have me burst into tears. We had to draw you out into the light and to do that I forced you and dared you to kill me. Also I knew too well that you'd like to kill me by your own hands and not by alchemy. Sure it was a risk, I thought that you were actually going to kill me using alchemy." Hazel said.

"Yeah so basically our plan worked... Hazel are you sure you're okay though? I mean that shelf looked pretty heavy.." Li-san said.

"Oh no worries I actually was able to make a small cushion for myself on my back so it didn't really hurt me at all." Hazel said and pulled out a length sized cushion that seemed to be a little 'dent'. Dante hissed with a growl.

"Damn you... H-how though?...I would have seen the chalk...the lines for the circle.." Dante gasped out. Li-san held up some chalk.

"Invisible chalk! TA-DAH!" Li-san exclaimed. Hazel sighed and rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Invisible chalk, what else will you come up with Li?" Hazel chuckled.

"Ha! And this circle only affects you Dante I made sure of that. You're bound to it now and there's nothin you can do! See? I told you we'd kick your ass." Li-san gloated happily.

"Grrr... There's no way I'll help you though, especially now that all of my books have been ruined. I made sure of that once you got here." Dante said through a maniacle laugh.

"Hmm...that will be a problem..." Hazel said with a frown.

"No worries, we'll figure somepin' out. As for you, it's time for you to go. Buh-bye now." Li-san said and activated the circle once more, this time to destroy Dante.

"NOOOO!" Dante screamed and tried to break free, but already the circle was having it's affect. Her skin started to rot, to fade away, her flesh became a disgusting color and she writhed in pain. The last thing she heard was a door bursting open, and a man standing there, a dumbfounded look on his face with his mouth wide open. She recognized this man, and her eyes spelled out hatred and love. She managed to scream out one name before disappearing.

"HOENHEIM!" she screamed and then disappeared. The man stood in the doorway, his mouth was wide open. The two stared at him for a few minutes, and then he just smiled as he walked in. Hazel just stared, and Li-san bent down to where Dante's remains where. She touched them with her fingers, and she felt shivers run down her spine as flashes came to her mind. It ended quickly, and she glanced up at the man.

"Why hello there. I came to be some help, but I guess you two could handle it on your own." he said with a polite smile.

"Umm...Excuse me mister but uh, did Dante say your name was Hoenheim?" Li-san asked when she stood up. The man nodded.

"Then that must mean..." Hazel started.

"That you're..." Li-san added.

**"ED AND AL'S DAD!"** they said in unison and the man couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"That's right. Nice to meet you. I'm Hoenheim of Light." he introduced himself. They looked at him in bewhilderment, and just followed him outside to meet up with Ed, Al, Winry, and Izumi.

* * *

Now, the sun was rising, and morning had just started. The birds began to chirp, and while Li-san, Hazel, and Hoenheim searched, they saw Ed, Al, Winry, and Izumi. 

"HEY! ED! WINRY! MISS IZUMI!" Hazel cried and rushed off to them happily. Li-san slowed her pace and then walked with Hoenheim.

"Umm...Hoenheim-sama... Back there I saw some stuff when I touched her remains... Uh, it's something I get nowadays since I ate something that sunk into my stomach... does this mean that you're like Dante as well? Someone who transfers their soul from one being to the next once your old body begins to fade on you?" Li-san asked quietly.

"You're absolutely right... You're pretty smart for a girl your age." Hoenheim complimented. She blushed.

"Thanks.." she said and added, "So that must mean that.. Envy was your son, right? So that means he was Ed and Al's stepbrother...right?"

"Yes... Envy was my first son. He died of a sickness that didn't have a cure... Dante and I tried to bring him back, but it was no use... He became the homunculous Envy. Later on... we created the Sorceror's Stone, and in doing so we gained eternal life. Alas, it didn't last long though, and so we realized that we needed bodies that could live for many years. Fact is, this body could collapse at any moment..but I'm willing to die. It's after the stone was created that I fell in love with Trisha... and then she had Ed and Al... I left because I needed to find something, something that would make me keep on living in this form... I wanted to be with her always. When I found out that it was my fault for her death, I went to Risenbool, visited her and Winry's parents' graves, and asked where they were. Pinako told me, and I hurried here. You see... I have sins of my own, but still..." Hoenheim explained, but then trailed off.

"You know... I always think sins should be forgiven. No matter how bad they are..." Li-san said.

"Really now? You are an angel. You're so cute too. I wish I had a daughter like you." Hoenheim complimented and she blushed more. She smiled, and then her face looked like this: (o.o)!

"YOU** FRICKIN'** **BASTARD** YOU! FLIRTING WITH A WOMAN WHO'S YOUNGER THAN YOU?! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED! WHAT WOULD MOM SAY?!" Edward roared as he punched Hoenheim right on his cheek making him fall backwards as a trail of blood splattered somewhat onto the floor.

"Y...You mean he was...f-flirting with me?..." Li-san asked and pointed to the knocked out Hoenheim who was now on the ground, his eyes were replaced with temporary swirlies. Hazel slapped her forehead with her hand, leaving a red mark in the middle.

"Regina moment..." Hazel muttered to herself and Li-san had a question mark over her head.

"Hazel.. What's a Regina moment?"

A/N: heh, was i evil or what? be truthful now, did u guys think that i was really gonna have a character die? lol anyways, i'm gonna leave it off at that. now for all of u who don't know what a regina moment is... well, it's basically when a person is so oblivious to the OVER THE LIMIT sorta thing, so that was a double regina moment. so yea, that's all lol so if u didn't get it then i just explained it to u. isn't li so oblivious everyone? (everone nods their heads) yea...anyways, you see the purple and pink button? the one that says GO followed by in the other long box thingy that says Submit a Review? Use the magic mouse button and click on GO! to leave a review! please i wanna know how u liked this chappie :) lol anyways, stay tuned for Chapter 16: Finding A Way Home. peace out! -Em


	16. Finding A Way Home

A/N: okay! here is the third to last chapter of this epic story! (there are going to be 18 chapters, no lie) i am so happy that all of u who have read this, reviewed for it, and put it on ur favs list like this story! it's made me very very happy and filled with joy! since the story is coming to an end though, the chapters will not be that many pages now than my others have been as u can probably tell lol. anyways, here is chapter 16! also sorry if the last one wasn't that descriptive (looks at a certain someone with narrowing eyes) but i tried, and i actually thought it'd be long. so when i saw it was like, 14 pgs i was like o.o dude no way! (lol jk certain someone) anyways, yes, now to continue with chapter 16!

**Dislcaimer:** I don't own FMA or any of it's characters. just li and hazel :)

**Chapter 16: Finding The Key To Home**

As the sunrise was now brightly shining, everyone sat inside Dante's kitchen. They had a talk, and Hoenheim explained everything. He retold of his past to Ed and Al, he explained to them why he couldn't come to them when they needed him most, he practically tried to reason for them to forgive him. Al was easy and he said yes, but Ed was still pissed off. Hoenheim frowned, but laughed saying how Ed had acquired his stubborness. Ed just shook that off and looked away.

"Umm... Hoenheim-sama, what did you do with the other homunculi? How did you get them to The Gate?" Li-san asked curiously.

"I just used my circle and it did all of the work." Hoenheim said and Hazel's eyes lit up.

"Mr. Elric! We need you to perform alchemy with us to summon The Gate!" Hazel shot up. Everyone looked at her with questioned looks, including Li.

"Li! Don't you get it? What we've been trying to do all this time! Find our way home! You know about our messed up lives right now, right guys? I mean, we don't know where we're from anymore, but if we go through The Gate we could probably get answers! Then we could just come back here! It's so simple!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Hazel, there isn't any alchemy on the Other Side." Li-san said.

"True, but we still have alchemy! Don't you remember Li? We performed alchemy in your basement and then came here!" Hazel cried.

"Hm...well, we should try to find the circle I used first before asking Hoenheim-sama... I mean, he is just a guy after all and this kind of alchemy takes a lot of work out of you. NO OFFENSE Hoenheim-sama." Li-san said and Hoenheim nodded in understanding.

"Augh...okay Li we'll do it your way. But you heard Dante, she said that she burned and tore all of her books to shreds before we even got here. How are we gonna do it now?" Hazel asked.

"Don't act smart-assy Hazel. Alchemy, remember? We can use it to recover the information from the books. It doesn't hurt to try." Li-san said and walked upstairs. The rest followed, and Hoenheim felt that something was holding Li-san back. What was that? In the back of Li's mind, she didn't want to go home... She thought about the pros and the cons.. The big pro here would be being with Alphonse, someone who she actually liked even though he might've been a fictional character. That kind of personality Al had was someone that Li-san wanted to fall in love with. Another pro would be that she could use alchemy! Then again, she could always do it on the her side since that's what got them here. Another pro would be that she'd actually and finally be an anime person, she'd have friends here, she'd have everything she dreamed, including no school! Then again...

The cons would be leaving her friends behind, including Hazel and all the cool friends she had made at her school. She'd be leaving her best friend since 5th grade behind, all of her friends she had a close friendship bond with since 3rd grade, and any other she had had. The other would be leaving her parents behind... Sure, they got on her nerves a little bit, but still they were her parents. Did she really believe that she was from fma world? She knew too that was from earth, and fma was a popular anime show. Her other self though wouldn't allow this kind of talk, so it got pushed back even further in her mind. Her character's mind took over and she fought over going or not going. She snapped out of it when she was at the door. She opened it as it creaked slightly, and walked in. Everyone else followed, and the lights were turned on. Books with blank pages were scattered on the floor, while other were burned and crushed, unable to read.

"Sensei-sama, Hoenheim-sama, Ed, Al, will you help us to bring these books back to 'life'?" Li-san asked and all of them (except Al) clapped their hands and transmuted all of the books in the room. Soon enough, piles of books were before them.

"Aaaah... This is gonna take forever! And I only got at least 3 hours of sleep! Can't we take a break?" Ed groaned.

"Sorry Ed, but this is important." Hazel said with a confident look and dove into the books. Li-san sweatdropped with a smile.

"Sorry Ed, but when Hazel has her mind on something, there's no changing it.." Li-san explained and walked over to the books and started looking at all of them. Everyone helped out then, looking for transmutation circles and other things to find for Li to look at. Everything was a no, and she didn't know what was wrong. _'I should know the transmutation circle I used to get here! I mean...it's like, on the tip of my tongue I just can't put my finger on it! It's like...when we came here my memory before coming here was erased, including the circle I used! ARGH! Why can't I remember one simple thing?! Stupid, stupid short term memory loss!..'_ Li-san thought to herself and then felt herself being poked lightly. She turned to see Hazel hold up a circle for her. Li-san shook her head no and sadly, Hazel continued to look through all of the books in her possession so far. Along the way, Winry conked out.

"Brother, Winry's asleep." Al pointed out.

"WINRY! WAKE UP!!!" Hazel cried loudly, but it didn't work.

"Come on Hazel, let her rest. It's not the end of the world.. I'm gonna take a break." Li-san said and stood up to be shoved back down.

"Oh no you don't! You're the one that got us here remember? You're staying right here until you remember and find the circle you used to get us here! Got it?" Hazel flamed.

". . . Okay." Li-san said quietly and huffed. Hoenheim stood up and walked over to them.

"Was this the circle you used?" he said and pointed to one. It was a circle that was in a book of mythology, the circle that led to another world, one that was apart from the alchemy one they were in. Li-san stared at it hard for a while, and her eyes widened. This was the circle! Of course! Li-san slapped herself on the forehead mentally. _'DUH! THE TRANSMUTATION CIRCLE TO THE OTHER SIDE! Derrrrrrrrr I'm stuuuuuuuupid.'_ Li-san thought to herself as she narrowed her eyes. She was about to say yes but she was stopped for words. Nothing came out of her mouth.. Something was wrong. Why couldn't she simply say yes? Oh yeah...she was still debating about this whole being born on this side, followed by how it wasn't really true but she thought it was because of her other self that she had created on this side... Man was this confusing (a/n: . now that i think about the situation it is confusin! lol).

"Well Li?" Hazel asked. Li finally sucked in some air, and answered with a low sounding voice.

"N-no... It's not but I know that we're getting closer..." she said and Hoenheim put the book down, but tore the page out just in case. He knew she was hiding something. The group continued to search, but took a 1 hour break when it was noon to have some lunch. Ed yawned loudly, and snoozed as he leaned on Al's back. Once in a while he did take a bite into his sandwhich, not even lifting one eye open. Al and Winry couldn't help but sigh.

"Augh...Brother is so lazy." Al said to himself as his eyes narrowed.

"Lazy? He's more like a lazy shrimp." Winry teased. Ed opened his eyes and then stared daggers at Winry.

"What-was-that?" he asked, his eye twitching each time. Winry sweatdropped.

Li-san was sitting with Hazel and Izumi, and she only stared down at her food. It was untouched, and she just didn't have the attitude really to eat anything. Izumi could sense something was wrong, so she decided to ask to try and get some hints.

"So Li, do you have any idea what transmutation circle you did use to get here?" Izumi asked.

"I..I have a feeling Sensei-sama. It's on the tip of my tongue it just..won't fully show itself to me ya know?" Li-san answered.

"Li, you gotta eat something. Come on I know you, you like noodles and fried dumplings! It's your faaaaaaaaavorite!" Hazel said cheerfully. Li-san sighed.

"Damn right!" Li-san said at first, but then she frowned for a moment and stood up. "Sorry... I'm not in the mood today Hazel." Li-san said with a short sigh and Hazel frowned. She then looked up to see Hoenheim. He just gave a wave, and smiled.

"Li, is it all right if I can talk with you alone for a few minutes?" Hoenheim asked politely.

"Sure." Li-san answered simply and got up. Hazel and Izumi watched as they were in a far enough distance for the two not to hear.

"Miss Izumi, do you think there's something Li isn't telling me er, I mean, us?" Hazel asked.

"I can sort of tell that Li-san is holding something back. I think something's bothering her, but you shouldn't worry. It will all work out on it's own." Izumi said with a smile as she sipped some tea. Hazel wasn't so sure, because ever since Hazel was so happy about going back home Li-san seemed a little bit, out of character.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" Li-san asked.

"Tell the truth Li, you know the circle you used to get you here." Hoenheim said sternly. Li-san looked away, not making eye contact. "The circle I showed you today, that was it wasn't it? Why are you so reluctant to go back home?" he asked her.

"I don't know if it's my real home.. Up until now I always thought that I lived in a normal world with no strings attatched. Then, out of luck I get stuck here by alchemy and now I've heard that my life might be fake...everything's confusing for me now I don't know what to think anymore! I don't know who I am at all, I'm so confused.. There are so many things I want to ask but I can't. I...I gotta be strong for Hazel cause, she's always been strong for me. I'm always the one that's carefree while she's doing all the work. I mean, I wanna go home it's just...I, it'll mean that I'll have to leave my friends here behind." Li-san said.

"What about your friends on the Other Side?" Hoenheim asked.

"I..I don't know. It's so hard now to choose I mean, on this side I actually have someone that I care about even more than my own friends now, someone who I really like and I, if I go back I'll probably never be able to see him ever again and I..I mean well, it's just so hard to choose that's all!" Li-san said.

"Think about this; if you leave your friends and your family behind on the Other Side, what do you think your lover will do? Will he allow you to stay when he knows you really need to go back home? He would probably worry, and you wouldn't want that now would you?" Hoenheim asked sweetly. Li-san didn't answer. He frowned slightly at her silence.

"Well, another question for you Li. Why didn't you tell everyone that this is the circle to bring you home? I mean, I might very well be repeating myself, but still it would help Hazel out since she wants to go home." Hoenheim asked.

"I..well uh I..." she said and sucked in some air. It wasn't like her to tell people her real feelings about things that made her uncomfortable, but she knew at some point she had to let loose.

"I'm sorta...scared I guess of going back home. I, don't really wanna go back home.. I mean, I've thought about all the pros and cons but it's just...something won't let me bring myself to the point of wanting to go home. I mean, I came here as a state alchemist, I can do alchemy, and this world is just so...amazing it would never be second compared to my old home." Li-san said. Good, she was letting herself say all of these things instead of her character.

"Oh? Scared? It is scary to think about leaving a place you've been in for at least, a few weeks maybe even a month or two. You just need to realize that no matter where you are you always have to go back to your home. I know it might sound rough, but it's true. Why don't we go back and tell Hazel about the transmutation circle? I'm sure it will make you feel better." Hoenheim said and Li-san went over with him behind her.

"Ummm...Hazel?" Li-san said uncertainingly. Hazel looked up to see Li-san's worried eyes.

"What's wrong Li?" Hazel asked, concerned.

"Umm..well, I was sorta scared back there to tell you but uh, the circle to the other realm is the one I used to get us here." Li-san said quietly and Hazel cheered.

"Whoo hoo! Now we can go home! Oh man this is what I've dreamed of Li! Do you realize what we'll be able to tell everyone back home?!" Hazel cried. Li-san felt a little bit angry, and wondered if Ed, Al, and Winry were hurt by what Hazel was saying if they heard her shouts of joy. Ed, Al, and Winry came over with confused looks on their faces. Hazel rushed over to them and rejoiced, giving Ed a hug.

"ED WE FOUND IT! THE CIRCLE WE CAN FINALLY GO HOME! IT'S ALL THANKS TO YOU AND EVERYONE!" Hazel rejoiced happily. Winry felt a vein pop when she saw Ed blushing. Hazel released her crushing hug from Ed, and then gave Winry a hug too saying how great it was to be her friend. All of Winry's jealousy vanished with a smile. When Hazel finally regained herself with a breather, she turned to Li and couldn't wait to go home.

"Hazel, we still need to get the circle on the ground. The problem is is that it's pretty big, so where are we gonna find the place to make this huge circle? I mean...we're in the forest, remember? There isn't really lots of space..." Li-san said with a sweatdrop.

"How about...the desert! No wait the sand would blow it all away.. hm... The ocean! No wait we couldn't hold our breaths that long at the bottom of the ocean... How about the--uh...I'm out of idiotic ideas now." Hazel said as her eyes narrowed with sweatdrops. Li-san laughed and laughed.

"Hazel, Li. Why don't we have a celebration dinner tonight at the shop? My treat everyone." Izumi suggested.

"A celebration dinner sounds nice, then tommorow we can go home." Hazel said happily. Li-san smiled slightly, but then looked off into space. Al could sense her emotion rise, and his began to rise as well. He sighed, and Ed noticed that Al was a little tense.

"Al? Something wrong?" Ed asked. It took Al awhile to answer.

"Huh? Oh! I'm fine Ed, no worries." Al said but Ed could tell his brother wasn't telling him something. He let it go though, and the group went back to Izumi's shop before going to her home. When they returned, Sig and Mason-- well, mostly Mason wanted to know everything that happened, and throughout the whole afternoon they explained their amazing and pretty much detailed battle against Dante and all of the homunculi. When the evening rolled by, the lights were lit, balloons were blown, and everyone celebrated happily and merrily. As everyone seemed to be dancing to their own beat (if you considered Ed starting to break dance very **badly**), Li-san decided to cool off and went up to the rooftop of Izumi's house. She looked up at the moon, it was at it's fullest and brightest tonight. It made the mood for her even more dull, and she just stared up. The door opened with a creak, and she heard a familiar clang of footsteps walk toward her.

"Li? Are you okay?" Al asked her when he stood beside her. Li didn't answer, but only sighed. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her.

"I don't want to go home Al.. I wanna stay here." Li-san said.

"You...want to stay here? Wh-why? Don't you want to go home with Hazel, back to your family who's probably worried about you?" Al asked.

"I..I do it's just, so much has happened here and it's like, I've always lived here. It's like this has always been my home. Two sides of me, one from this world, the other from the Other Side... I don't know where to go now. I know Hazel would be sad if I didn't go with her... but I, I wanna stay here so badly." Li-san said.

"Li...Why do you want to stay here? I mean, sure alchemy may be an advantage here but still, you have family that misses you, friends that you've had for so long compared to over here." Al said.

"It won't be the same without...you." Li-san said shyly and turned away from the blushing suit of armor.

"M-me?" Al repeated and she nodded.

"I uh...I umm...Al I sorta really like you I mean it's sort of been obvious throughout this whole adventure ya know? I mean, even you got hints of it a while back I remember.." Li-san said as her cheeks began to blush.

"O-oh well... Li do you really want to stay here just cause of me? I mean, don't you have a boyfriend on the Other Side?" Al dared to ask.

"Hell no! I'm single back there and I'm proud of it!" she yelled offensively. Al took a step back, and she blinked slightly out of confusion. She laughed then, and Al didn't quite get the 'joke'.

"Sorry Al, didn't mean to snap at you. It's just that, here I found someone who's kind, caring, loving, smart, and all of these other good qualities girls dream their boyfriends would have probably... I wouldn't want to give someone who had those kind of qualities up for grabs for other girls, I mean, that's using common sense." Li-san said with a chuckle. Al blushed even more.

"Li...if you stayed here, you'd have to wait for me to regain my body. Could you wait that long, knowing that you could go home in a heartbeat?" Al asked.

"I'd wait until you got your body back Al. I'm patient unlike some people I know." Li-san joked. The two were silent for a while.

"So you'd...you'd come with me and Ed to find the Philosopher's Stone?" Al asked.

"Yup. All the way." Li-san answered simply.

"Wow...Li, you'd really throw away everything you have on the Other Side, just for me?" Al asked. Li was taken aback by this. She hadn't thought about that.. Up until now she just thought she'd be leaving a different life behind, but now that he put it that way she was in questioning...again. Throwing everything away? Friendships that are meant to be kept? Would she really do that for Al...even though he wasn't real? She thought for a while, and finally answered with one simple word.

"Yes."

The next morning Hazel woke up bright and early, and banged on Li's door. Li groaned as Hazel ordered her to get up. They still needed to find a place to do the transmutation circle, and that night Hazel kept wondering where to go. She finally realized a great place would be at the entrance to where they were kidnapped. When the whole group arrived, the circle was being created. Throughout the whole thing, everyone was silent as they did their work diligently. Winry watched, and when it was finally finished it was late afternoon.

"Okay! It's done! Now all we need to do is summon the door." Hazel said with a smile. As all of the alchemists, with their combined energy placed their hands on the circle, it lit up, but nothing happened...

"That's strange. Why won't it work? I don't think we made a mistake." Ed said, puzzled as he scratched the back of his head. All of a sudden, a pang hit Li's stomach, and she realized the key to opening the door.

"Hazel...I forgot... To open the door we need to sacrifice a life.." Li-san said quietly.

"WHAT?! YOU TELL ME THIS NOW?! WHERE ARE WE GONNA GET A SACRIFICE?!" Hazel shouted and Li-san slapped her friend hard. Hazel fell with a thud on the ground.

"What the hell was that for?!" Hazel roared, and Li-san snapped.

"Listen to yourself Hazel! Did you think before you said anything? 'Where are we gonna get a sacrifice'...do you really wanna get home so soon that you won't even think **twice** before sacrificing a human soul?! Ever since yesterday you've been shouting for praise that we're going home. You haven't even thought about how Ed, Al, and Winry-san may feel! You're saying how great it's gonna be when we get home, but what you haven't probably realized now is that this has been our home for the past month and few weeks! Do you even know if you're hurting their feelings slightly?" Li-san shouted. Hazel was silent, and Ed, Al, and Winry looked at the ground with sad eyes. Hazel got up, and looked pissed.

"Sorry." she said simply and brushed herself off.

"Sorry? All you can say is sorry?!" Li-san cried.

"Yeah. Anything you want me to say, O Great One?" Hazel taunted. Li-san was silent, and then turned her back to Hazel.

"Geez Li, it's like you don't want to go back home! I know what I'm saying, and I know perfectly well that the only way to get home now is by sacrificing a human soul. I know that it doesn't sound nice, but don't you think our parents have waited long enough if they're searching for us?" Hazel asked. Li-san didn't answer, she was giving Hazel the cold shoulder making Hazel frown. She turned to everyone then, a sad look on her face.

"I'm sorry everyone.." she said. The sun began to set, and all hope seemed to be lost. All of a sudden, Hoenheim burst out laughing, and everyone turned to him, not getting the joke at all if there was one in the past few minutes.

"No need to be sorry Hazel, Li. I should have just done this in the first place." Hoenheim said and clapped his hands together. He placed it on his chest, and then on the circle. It glowed, and in an instant the door was there! Everyone was shocked, and Hoenheim still crouching chuckled slightly, breathing heavily.

"Dad! You did it! But how?!" Al asked.

"I transferred a part of my soul to summon The Gate. I'm over a thousand years old, I can give up some of my soul for this and still live to be two thousand." he joked. Hazel's eyes sparkled, and she slowly walked over to the door. When she was close enough to it, she backed away quickly when it began to open. A light eminated from it, and the door was opened in it's glory. Hoenheim smiled, and Hazel rushed up to it with the group following.

"All right! Thank you Hoenheim, thank you! Everyone, we'll never forget you, EVER. C'mon Li, we're goin' home!" Hazel shouted with a smile, and then started to have her mouth agape as she saw Li, standing right in front of Al, not moving from her spot.

"Li?" Hazel asked, puzzled. Li closed her eyes, and then frowned. Hazel didn't understand what was going on. Was Li actually rejecting going back home? What was the deal?! Was it just a bad joke or something?! Please, it had to be a bad joke! Li-san was thinking about the night before, her talk with Al. After she had told him her simple and clear answer of 'yes'.

_"So you're willing to let everything, all the memories, all the good times, your family and friends, you're just going to let it all die just for me?!" Al cried. She looked at him, and nodded silently._

_"Yes. I've never felt like this before Al... I've never...actually... Al I... I love you and I...don't want to leave if it means leaving you behind. I wanna stay here, and start a new life here with you, Ed, Winry, and everyone." Li-san said. Al was silent, and couldn't help but feel something tingling inside of him. He had never had a girlfriend actually, and Li really cared about him to the point of giving up everything she had just for him._

_"Al.." Li said, and he looked up. "Would you... would you be mad if I chose tommorow, to stay here with you?" she asked. He was silent for a few minutes, and then, finally, gave her a smile in that armor. She could see his human form, those beautiful brown eyes, that face, that loving smile._

_"Whatever you choose, I'll be right there with you. I'll, support you..." he said, and she couldn't help but cry happily._

"I'm staying here Hazel, tell everyone that I'll miss them dearly." Li-san said when she opened her eyes, the frown started to lose the upside down 'U'. She was fighting back tears.

"So..you're not coming with me?" Hazel asked. Li didn't answer, and Al put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. Hazel could feel tears coming to her eyes, and tried to look Li right in the eyes to where it would have to hurt Li so badly to convince her to come with her. Hazel's hatred in her eyes stared into Li's saddened ones, but it didn't work. Ed and Winry looked a little scared, afraid of what would happen next. They were still shocked about Li's decision.

"I'm sorry Hazel but...there's nothing you can do to change my mind." Li-san said, fighting back the tears that would cause her to stop talking and just sob to the point where she'd get a major headache. Hazel just stood there, and then heard Hoenheim shout, "Hurry Hazel! Before The Gate closes!" Hazel turned and saw that The Gate was beginning to close the doors. Now was her chance to leave, but she couldn't. Her feet seemed to be glued to the spot she was in. She couldn't leave Li behind, she could never find another buddy like Li, ever!

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR HAZEL?! IF YOU WANT TO GO HOME SO BADLY THEN GO!" Li-san screamed and Hazel was shocked.

"Li..." she said silently.

"JUST GO ALREADY!" Li-san shouted, and then cried in Al's arms as he comforted her in a hug. Hazel, hesistantly, walked to The Gate, and turned. As the doors began to get rid of the scenery, she saw Li staring at her with those sad eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks. Hazel had the same feeling, the tears began to roll down her cheeks. When the door was closed the last thing Li saw was Hazel, turning away to go home. That was the last time she would ever see of Hazel... This was the start of sharing her life with Al, the love of her life (at least, right now). After the door disappeared when Hazel was engulfed in the light, Li thought all the way back to Izumi's home, _'. . . Was it worth it? . . .'_

_To Be Continued_

A/N: lol yes i know that is a very stupid thing to think about li-san. but hey, it's gives off a cliffie which i feel so very evil in doing so smirks I will leave the cliffie up to u to decide if Li will actually never go back, or if something will happen to convince her to go back and they all live happily ever after. feel free to comment or give out what ifs (or whatever) that might happen, because i already know how i'm gonna end this if u want to, and just stay tuned for the second to last chapter of this story! u won't be disappointed i can tell u! Arigatou!


	17. The Truth And Its Reward

A/N: mushi mushi everyone! i'm sorry i didn't get a chance to update over the weekend. i had two projects to work on that were both due on monday so i had to get goin! and i will admit, saturday night i wanted to watch anime instead of update /sweatdrop/ but anyways, i'm updating now so hope u like the chapter! ...yea, like i said toward the end the pages for the chapters will be short..er somewhat. this chapter was only 14 pgs. long... i can do better than that! well, anyways, here's the second to last chapter, so i hope you all like it! and see what happens to li and hazel now that li said she's gonna stay in fma world...

**Special Guests:** Alfons Heiderich, Officer Hughes, and The Truth

**Disclaimer:** I don't own FMA or any of it's awesome characters! Just li and hazel :)

**Chapter 17: The Truth And Its Reward**

_Hazel felt as if her travel through The Gate took almost forever, she felt like she was in a spinning vortex that led to nowhere. She closed her eyes, finally giving up, and waited to reach the Other Side. She was still wondering though, 'WHY THE HELL IS IT TAKING SO LONG?!'_

Everyone was silent when they came back to Izumi's house. Occasionally they would hear Sig, Mason, and Izumi working in the kitchen, but after that there was no other sound. Li was sitting on a chair silently as she looked at the ground, Winry was reading a book, Ed was lying on the couch, Hoenheim had his back leaned against the wall, and Al was sitting on another chair across from Li's. In a few minutes, Winry got up and walked over to the phone beside the group. They watched and listened.

"Hi Grandma it's me. Just calling to say that Ed, Al, Li-san and I are coming home. Oh? Well..Hazel, uh.. it's a long story I'll explain it to you when we come home." Winry said quietly, staring at Li-san with sad eyes. Li-san didn't seem to notice, she was thinking about something else. Al could notice how tense Li was feeling, and he started to grip his fists.

"Winry, how long is it going to take us to get back to Risenbool?" Li-san asked, forgetting her respectful -san term for Winry. Al narrowed his red eyes angrily as he heard Li-san talking about coming home with them. He still was uncomfortable with all of this now that he thought about this. He loved her, he knew this and she wanted to stay with him but...it wasn't her home and he knew she was still heartbroken for leaving Hazel to go back to their own home...

"Not that long... Maybe about, a couple of days." Winry replied. Ed slouched a little bit, and then looked at the two girls.

"Couple of days? Great my back is gonna be destroyed before we even get there!" Ed joked. Li-san smiled weakly and tried to laugh slightly, but she couldn't. Not now... she felt like crying again, but she had to be strong for them. Inside it really hurt, she didn't really know why. She made the decision to stay with Al, that was all that mattered to her...wasn't it? No... That was a lie right there.

_'Heh...another lie. How many more am I going to go through before I finally realize my mistake?_' she wondered to herself, showing a fake smile as her bangs covered her eyes, a tear falling down her cheek. Realizing that she had exposed her sad expression she immediately drew back trying to not let those see her, but Al did. He stood up abruptly, and Li stared at him blankly with wide eyes as they held back tears that had begun to fall.

"That's it. I can't take it anymore. Li you have to go home." Al said firmly, and everyone looked up to stare at the two lovebirds. Her mouth dropped a little in surprise, and she knew that he was right but...

"G-go back? But I already-"

"Li I'm telling you to go back home. You can't stay here. I don't want you to be here if you're going to ruin a friendship over me." Al said sternly. Li was quiet, and she started to shake all over a little. Al wondered if he was too hard on her, and took a step foward. He didn't mean to be so harsh, but if he tried to sweetalk her into leaving he didn't think it would work so he went with the harsh and demanding tone. He felt like she knew what he really meant under his harsh words, but now he felt really guilty. He stopped when she looked up at him, a smile on her face as the tears slowly fell down to the ground.

"Thank you Al... You're right. I need to go home." she said to him and the group smiled. She bowed to everyone, saying they would never be forgotten. She even added that maybe someday if they could on the Other Side do alchemy once more, they would visit for holidays or just to stop by and say hi. Before she really left, she walked over to Al and he bent down slightly. She smiled at him, and gave him a kiss on the armor headpiece (a/n: um where his mouth is supposed to be on the armor piece, the VvvV thingy part), and then blushed as she rushed out the door, running to where the group had performed the transmutation circle before. When the door closed, Al was blushing, and Ed started to smirk while Winry giggled.

"Well Al, how'd you like your first kiss?" Ed asked with a laugh. Al kept blushing, but then suddenly felt _strange_. Hoenheim stood up abruptly, and Winry stopped her laughing as it turned into a gasp. Something weird and amazing was going on, Al's armor was glowing bright white to the point where it was almost blinding!

"Al? Al what's wrong what's going on?!" Ed cried in alarm.

"Miss Izumi!" Winry cried and Izumi charged into the room to see what was happening. When the light grwe to it's brightest, there was a flash of light and everyone looked at where Al was standing now. Their eyes went wide in astonishment as to what was standing before them now. A 14 year-old boy was standing before them, his brown hair the same as it was when he was 10, his brown eyes blinked a couple of times as if he were just a newborn opening them for the first time. The boy looked down at himself, looking at his human hands with his eyes growing wide in the process. Then, he looked up at Ed.

"Brother?" Al asked uncertainingly.

Li-san ran and ran, finally having to stop and catch her breath. "DAMN YOU CURSED ASTHMA!" she cursed to herself out loud but found that she was close to where the circle was performed before. She smiled, but then frowned realizing a sacrifice still had to be made. She would never sacrifice anything at all, so she slumped to the ground and started to cry.

"May I be of assistance?" a voice asked from behind her and she turned around to see Hoenheim.

"Hoenheim-sama! You wouldn't die if I asked you to help me would you?" Li-san asked.

"Of course not!" he said with a smile and closed his eyes as he placed them on the circle. It glowed, and now The Gate was before her.

"Thank you Hoenheim-sama... Tell Al to please not forget me and when I'm gone to not get another girlfriend or else I will hit her with a wrench!" Li-san spazzed, and Hoenheim laughed.

"When you do come back for a visit, you'll be surprised to see what's happened to Al after you left." Hoenheim chuckled and she was puzzled. Suddenly, the two heard voices calling and they rushed up to the hill. Al was out in front, no more someone in a blue armorsuit. Li-san's eyes were wide, and then they sparkled as she watched Al come closer to her and then finally embracing her in a strong hug. _'Damn he's strong!'_ Li-san thought with a sweatdrop.

"Li! Thank you so much! It...well, amazingly and not really, your kiss made me return to my human form! It's amazing!" Al cried happliy and Li-san gladly laughed with a smile as her eyes were closed, holding back tears of joy. _'This is just like when the princess kissed the frog and changed him back into a prince! Or like when Beauty fell in love with the Beast! Oh man this is sweeeeeeeeeet!'_ Li-san thought to herself and then realized that someone's lips were pressing against hers! She opened her eyse abruptly to see Al giving her a kiss, his eyes closed, giving him a romantic look. Li-san could feel herself swoon over Al, but managed to keep it cool. When they were finished, Al smiled at her.

"That's a return kiss for back there, and a real one from me. I want you to have this so you won't forget me." Al said and pulled out behind his back a small metalic, slightly demented animal.

"OH AL IT'S BEAUTIFUL!" Li-san said as her eyes sparkled as she gave it a chibi hug. He blushed with a smile and she gave him one more peck on the cheek, and then gave him something.

"Um, here I know it's not perfect but it's a chibi picture of you in your armor...it's not very good but uh.." she said and started blushing. The picture was of Al in his suit of armor form, where he looked like a little rocket with a loincloth on followed by that cute VvvV smile and those cute beady eyes. Not to mention the arms and legs and the pointy tip of the helmet on top with the long stringy thingy attatched to it. He laughed with a smile.

"It's, cute." he said and she started to laugh. _'He said it! He said cute! That's totally kawaii!'_ she thought and he smiled at her with one sweatdrop, not getting the 'joke' as to why she was laughing. She finally said goodbye with a smile as she was walking over to The Gate. She waved, and Ed and Winry came up behind Al.

"Don' forget us Li!" Ed called with a wave.

"Come visit us sooon!" Winry said with a smile.

"Yeah! I will, promise! We both will! Oh and guys, if Armony and Uncle Eiselstein ever wonder where Hazel and I are tell him that we're on a new adventure and journey please! Allllllllllllll, don't get another girlfriend while I'm awaaaaay!" Li-san said with a smile and then ran to The Gate, but then stopped for a moment. Everyone looked puzzled when she turned to face them.

"Ed..Al... I want both of you to be careful... What I had learned a while back..is that the Fuhrer is also a homunculous.." she said to them and Ed nodded with a thubmbs up.

"No worries Li. If you promise to visit us soon leave the Fuhrer to us." Ed said with a smile and Li-san nodded back happily and went through the door as it slammed close. Al smiled, and then turned to Ed.

"Brother, after we take care of the Fuhrer... It'll be time for us to continue our journey to restore your arm and leg. It's not fair for just me to be myself again and you to not gain anything." Al said with a smile and Ed nodded with a thumbs up.

"Damn right. I'm sure Mustang will be glad when we get rid of the Fuhrer.. Or should I say, Pride." Ed guessed with a smirk and Winry just sighed heavily, staring at her two childhood friends with admiration in her eyes.

"Boys." Winry said with a smile as she rolled her eyes playfully.

_Hazel finally exited the vortex, and found herself among...well, nothing. It was just a white room, nothing was there._

_"So, you've finally decided?" a voice asked._

_"Decided? I just want to go home!" Hazel shouted._

_"Home? The home that you are from? Or the home that you've created on The Other Side?" the voice asked and before Hazel could answer a secret trap opened up and she fell into darkness... A few minutes later, the voice sighed._

_"Great. Here comes that complete forgetful idiot, again." the voice groaned and soon enough, a girl with black hair landed with an 'oof!'._

Hazel opened her eyes painfully as she looked up at the sky. She stood up, and looked all around her. She groaned, realizing what that voice meant when it was asking her about going home or going home to The Other Side. _'Great...I had a bad feeling when we lied saying we were from the Other Side!'_ Hazel thought. Then, she realized something and abruptly stood up in rage! "OH THIS IS JUST GREAT! I'M IN MUNICH, GERMANY DURING WORLD WAR ONE! WHAT ELSE COULD GO WRONG?! LI IF I EVER SEE YOU AGAIN I'M GONNA WRING YOUR NECK! NEXT TIME WE JUST TELL THE DAMN TRUTH!" she shouted to herself, and then heard a noise that sounding like a vooooooooooooom! She looked up and her eyes bulged.

"Ah..A bomb!" Hazel squeaked as it came closer. She didn't realize it at the time, but someone was rushing at her. Hazel started to sob as the bomb was too close!

"Well don't just stand there RUN!" a voice familiar cried and knocked Hazel in the air as the bomb landed, sending both of them flying making them land in trashcans. The lids were on the floor, and when the smoke cleared Hazel erupted out of the trashcan, her eyes were sparkling as pink started to surround her small area.

"LI! YOU CAME!" Hazel squeaked as she turned to the trashcan next to her. The person (who was Li) came out with her eyes very narrowed as a banana peel was on her head, making her eye twitch slightly.

"Why do I have to be the one that gets thrown into the garbage can... that's full?!" Li-san cried. She then turned to Hazel to answer the sparkling girl's question.

"Nooooo, I'm the Li from this Side." she said monotonously and sarcastically, making Hazel sink slightly.

"O-oh..." Hazel said quietly as her mouth turned to a whimper. Li felt a vein pop and her eye twitched more until she burst.

"OF COURSE I'M LI YOU IDIOT!" she yelled angrily as the banana peel landed on the ground. There was a short silence, and then Hazel spoke.

"No need to shout." Hazel said with a frown and Li just sighed loudly as they got out of the cans. They walked down the streets of Munich, and didn't really say much. When they did talk, it was always shortened somehow because there was no continuation.

"So umm...Li what made you come with me back home?" Hazel asked.

"Al..." Li-san answered simply.

"Really? Do tell." Hazel said.

"Well, when you left he talked well, demanded that I go back home and, yeah that's it really." Li-san said and didn't add the part where Al got his body back. She put her hands in her pockets, and felt the small animal that Al gave her. Good, it was still there! As the two walked down the silent streets some more, they ran into a police officer with a nazi sign on his shirt. He wore a helmet and glasses as well.

"Sorry madames, I didn't see where I was going." the man said and the two looked up at him. They gasped as they saw Hughes!

"No problem.." Hazel said with a smile.

"Shouldn't you two be home by now? It's not safe to be roaming around Munich at this hour." Officer Hughes said.

"Not safe? So what are you doing out here?" Li-san joked.

". . . You're not very bright, are you?" Officer Hughes asked and Li-san blushed.

"IT WAS A JOKE!" she whined and Officer Hughes laughed.

"Oh, again, my apologies." he said sheepishly.

"Officer, do you know where my friend and I could stay? We sort of...are travelists and we happened to come to Munich." Hazel explained.

"Certainly. Come with me, I'll bring you to a lovely inn. I'm sure they still have rooms open for travelers like yourselves." Officer Hughes said with a smile and led them to the inn. There was no one in sight, and Hughes just opened the door like it was nothing. He led them up the stairs, and then knocked on someone's door.

"Who's there?" someone asked groggily on the other side.

"Officer Hughes here. Heiderich, do you think it's all right if two girls bunk with you for the night?" Officer Hughes asked. The two girls couldn't help but squeal. Okay, home could wait if they were gonna be in the same room as Alfons Heiderich! The door opened and there stood Heiderich, his golden hair a little messed up but other than that his blue eyes were awake. The only difference was his voice because it wasn't low yet, it was still a littly squeaky on some 'notes' that he hit like Al's. They were his age after all since the Al on alchemy world was still 14 and all.

"Sure. I'd be happy to help you two. Um, nice clothes, never seen those kinds of fabrics and all before. I can tell why you're travelers." he said with a chuckle and the two walked in, waving goodbye to Officer Hughes. Alfons walked over to his kitchen and sat down.

"Do you want a cup of tea or something?" he asked politely.

"Actually, if it's all right with you umm..." Li-san started.

"Oh call me Alfons. Al for short." Alfons introduced himself.

"Okay. I'm Li-san, and this is my friend Hazel. Anyways, Alfons if it's all right with you we're just gonna be leaving bright and early in the morning. Do you know of any places where there is a lot of space?" Li-san asked.

"Umm... I'll show you around tommorow if you stay a little while longer so you get a feeling about Munich and where everything is if you want." Alfons suggested and the two girls nodded. When they went to sleep in a seperate room with two beds, they whispered to eachother.

"This is so great! I'm so glad we came to Munich before actually going home!" Li-san said happily.

"Li there's one thing I've been wanting to ask you." Hazel said.

"Yeah?" Li-san asked.

"How are we gonna get home? I mean, actually home? The last time we faked where we lived it didn't go over too well, I mean, look where it's gotten us!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Hm... You're right Hazel. I've been thinking about that and I've come to this conclusion. We tell the Truth." Li-san said.

"Yeah I know that Li, but to who?" Hazel asked.

"We tell the Truth." Li-san repeated herself.

"I KNOW LI! WHO DO WE TELL?!" Hazel repeated herself angrily.

"Hazel, I said we tell the Truth. As in, the Truth who is always at The Gate. You know, the weird freaky thingy with just a smile and nothing else. The shadowy character, that guy." Li-san said and Hazel sweatdropped.

"Oh... Do you think alchemy will work here? I mean... if it doesn't then what do we do? Everyone said that we'd probably have alchemy even if we were on this side, but what if they're wrong?" Hazel asked.

"Don't worry Hazel, if the transmutation circle doesn't work tommorow, I have a backup plan." Li-san said with a smile. When morning arrived, Alfons knocked on their door to let know that he was going to make breakfast. They woke up lazily, and walked outside. Alfons was wearing a white shirt and strap-on pants.

"Morning Alfons. Thanks again for letting us crash here for the night. After breakfast, could you show us around town and tell us where there is a wide area of space? It's really important." Li-san asked politely.

"Certainly." he said with a smile and after the three went into town. A lot of characters made Li and Hazel jump, they even ran into a bunch of traveling gypsies. The driver and his wife seemed just like Scar and Lust, it gave them shivers.

"This will surely get us to where there's a lot of space Li." Alfons said with a smile. When the driver dropped them all off, the two girsl asked if Alfons would be all right walking back to Munich after this. He replied with a no worries kind of look, and the two went to work. When Alfons saw what they were doing, he frowned.

"Hey, you don't actually believe in that stuff do you? Alchemy?" he asked.

"Sorry but, we do. It's the only way to get home." Hazel said and when they were finished, they smiled and placed their hands on the circle. They waited a few minutes, and it didn't work. Alfons couldn't help but laugh when he fell onto the ground and rolled in the grass in delight.

"Who needs _alchemy_ when you've got science?! I can't believe you two believe in that myth!" Alfons stiffled a laugh when he regained himself and stood back up.

"Now what Li? You said you had a backup plan." Hazel said and Li concentrated. Suddenly, bright lighted circles appeared on Li's forehead, and hands. She clapped them once, and then placed them over the circle before them. All of a sudden, it glowed, and there stood the door. The two turned to Heiderich who looked flabberghasted as he fell back on his knees with a thud.

"N-no way! This is...amazing!" Alfons cried.

"Alfonsssss," Hazel said sweetly. "This is our little secret all right? Don't tell anyone else about this." Hazel added with a smile.

"Thanks a bunch for helping us out Al! We won't forget you!" Li-san said with a wave and the two entered The Gate. Alfons finally got up, and brushed himself off, walking back to Munich when the door disappeared, the cirlce vanishing. He mumbled to himself, still beads of sweat from disbelief rolled down his face. _'Who'd believe me?'_ he thought and then looked up at the sky. He'd never forget these two... **that** was a definate.

The two were through the vortex that led to the door, and when they had finally gotten there they saw It before them.

_"I was hoping you wouldn't take as long as you did last time in coming here. Honestly where do you two go when you summon The Gate?"_ It asked them irritably.

"Through a vortex thingy that takes forever to get out of fyi." Li-san said and stuck her tongue out. It only sighed, and then walked over to The Gate, leaning on it slightly.

_"So, let's get this over with shall we? You want to get home right?"_ It asked them impatiently.

"Why are you so willing to help us now when you kept mocking us before?" Hazel asked.

_"I don't have time for you two, I have business to attend to here. If you haven't noticed, I'm the one that's in charge of The Gate and the two worlds, it's a big job to handle and I don't think either of you would want to take over for me."_ It answered grumpily.

"Geez, no need to be so grouchy Mr. GrumpyGills." Li-san said as she stuck her tongue out. It just sighed, and looked up.

_"Look, I told you let's get this over with nice and simple. Now you want to go home right? Well there's only one way to do it. Have you decided if you want to go home or not?"_ It asked.

"Well..we've been debating about it." Li-san started.

"Well, she's been debating really about how we might've actually been born from this side and all." Hazel answered. It started to shiver slightly, but kept still.

"Yeaaaaaah... Anyways, and I've come to a conclusion that in order for us to really go home without running into any conflict is to tell the truth." Li-san said happily.

_"You've come to the right Truth."_ It said happily. _"Now, what were you saying about debating if you were really born on the side with alchemy?"_ It then asked.

"Oh well! What you were telling me, as I was asking for hints and all, it sorta just hit me and I started to wonder about it so then I told Hazel and then after that we---hey, why are you, _laughing_?!" Li-san shouted angrily when she was interrupted by snorts of laughter coming from It. It just continued to laugh and roll of the floor, literally. When It finally stopped, Hazel and Li-san looked at It with confused looks, their eyes narrowed slightly with question marks over their heads. He pointed to Li, and then started to laugh again.

_"I can'tlaughs believe snorts you actually laughs louder BELIEVED ME!"_ It roared in laughter once more, and Hazel (her eyes just two black beads) turned to Li when they were narrowed.

"So you're telling me... YOU MADE ME WORRY FOR NOTHING?!" Hazel roared and whammed her fist on Li's head.

"Owowowowowowowoww! Haaaaaaaaaazel!" Li-san whined.

"SHUT UP! I DON'T WANNA HEAR ANYTHING FROM YOUR MOUTH ANYMORE! YOU BAKA! ARGH! I BET YOU ANYTHING THIS WOULDN'TVE HAPPENED IF IT'D KEEP IT'S MOUTH SHUT! SO IT WAS ALL A LIE?!" Hazel spazzed and turned to It who looked at her attentively immediately when she stared daggers at It.

_"Of course. You actually believed me Li, now that's something to laugh about." _It said with a simple shrug. Li-san had tears running down her face.

"But why'd you go and lie to me?!" Li-san cried.

_"To mess with your head. I thought it would be fun to see what would happen if I made this plot a little more interesting. Gosh, and I actually thought there was some sort of brain in your head. Now that I see more clearly, all I can make out is that your brain's been replaced with a peanut shell."_ It said and started laughing again.

"Well people do say I'm lightheaded...Hey wait a-HEY!" Li-san cried and It laughed even louder. When It finally settled down, It became serious.

_"With all outrageous laughter behind me, are you ready to confess to bring you home?"_ It asked and they nodded.

"We're not really from The Other Side, nor are we State Alchemists." Li-san started. _'Though I wish I were.'_ she thought.

"We're actually from the future. 2006 to be precise and we only came here by some magical way by using the transmutation circle to get to The Gate." Hazel continued.

"Yeah, we really must've just come here by luck. Anyways, to get straight to the point we wanna go home now to where my basement is, and back to our anime slumber party." Li-san said and It smiled.

_"Very good."_ he said and snapped, the doors from The Gate opened to show a scene. It included a lone basement, with a computer left on and manga books spread across the floor. To the side, there was the circle, it began to glow. The two smiled, and began to walk to the doors. When they were only an inch away, they turned to It.

"This is our little secret by the way, if we ever come back. Even though it was by luck probably, we were still able to do alchemy. If anyone ever comes to this Gate, people that we know, you can't tell them we're from the future okay?" Li-san said and It nodded.

_"Yes yes, I promise. Besides, if I don't I'll just have two pain in the asses bugging me to no end. I wouldn't want that with the job I have to keep."_ It said with a shrug.

"We're gonna keep that in mind buster, and we might even reconsider getting you a present when we visit again." Hazel frowned jokingly, and the two walked through The Gate. As the doors closed, It pondered in thought.

_"Present? What present would they even get for me?"_ It wondered and couldn't help but smile. It would never forget them, not ever even if It tried. After all, they were the ones that gave him a major headache throughout their entire visit. The two girls were whirled through The Gate's vortex, and couldn't help but scream. It was about a few more moments before they emerged from the transmutation circle and onto the ground with an 'oof!'. The last thing they saw before passing out for at least a few seconds was the basement that they had been in before their journey began...

A/N: okay! one more chapter to go! everyone, thanks for stickin with this story! u all shall be mentioned at the end of chappie 18 i shall make sure of it! so plz, if u can, review for this and i will hope that u'll review for the last chapter! i always wanna know how my readers liked the entire story an' all. anyways, arigatou everyone! sooo, tune in next time for chapter 18??? (won't tell u the title :-P )


	18. The Adventure Still Goes On

A/N: well everyone, this is the last chapter of this story, so i wrote it with all of my heart and soul! heh, guess that's why i'm called the SoulFire Alchemist. anways, yes, the last chapter. there will be a little surprise at the end of as well... -smirks- and guess what! it's a somewhat longish chappie with somewhere in the 20s pgs! yay! (everyone in backround: takes one step backwards from EmiieRoxs) /sweatdrop/ well everyone, time to read on and i'll be sure to mention ev'ryone who's reviewed and that means everyone, even if i've only received one review only from ya ;) . also, if u could plz make a girl who is very happy with this story and its success right now even more HAPPIER.. will u be so kind of to leave one more review, telling me how you liked this story? Pwease? ...Arigatou everyone! Happy Reading!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own FMA only the famous Hiromu Arakawa does! i only own li and hazel sadly T.T o yea and War and Hate XD

**Chapter 18: The Adventure Still Goes On**

Somewhere in Japan...a lone writer by the name of Hiromu Arakawa; the one who owned the manga Fullmetal Alchemist, woke up in a sweat, looking around the room. In her sleep, an amazing dream just came to her in a flash! The plot, everything, new characters, it was all there.. She quickly rushed to her desk, rapidly writing down everything to remember.

"This is definately going to be a great, different plot to Fullmetal. I can't wait to meet the voice actors of these two alchemists by the names of Avery and Ai-chan." she said with a grin and went to work. This was one story she wouldn't pass up. Probably in two weeks she would have it up, and actually have it in the U.S. in Pennsylvania. After all, she was going to visit PA soon, and with this new release she'd want to have the english crew of fullmetal meet two new additions as she would hold the voice acting tryouts. Sure she'd need a translator, but whatever she knew some english. Heck, she knew english for all she knew! She hastily continued her work, and then smiled gleefully. For Fullmetal fans, this was one different plot they wouldn't want to miss...

A girl with dirty-blonde hair a little messed up made a muttering noise... Hazel groaned slightly, and opened her eyes just a crack. She was looking at a familiar ceiling, and blinked a few before sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She yawned, and then looked around groggily. When she noticed everything looked so..._real_, she realized that it had worked and now she was in Li's basement! She immediately jumped up for joy and started to squeal in delight, and then noticed her clothes. _'Hey!'_ she thought. She was still wearing her red jacket she wore in the show! Awesomeness! She'd definately be able to use this at another anime convention coming up soon. She then turned to Li who was out cold as well, some drool running down her mouth. Hazel noticed that Li too was wearing her blue fullmetal jacket, and couldn't wait to talk about this all! She then noticed something else...

_'Hey! No fair!'_ Hazel thought with a frown as she stared at Li's hands, white gloves were on them. She wondered if on the inside there would be her own creation of her own transmutation circle. Hazel rolled her eyes, and then bent down low to Li, poking her friend lightly. Li gave a grunt, and then rolled over on to her side. Hazel gave a devil's smile, and then gave her friend a wake up call by forcefully poking Li in the side! Li-san shot straight up and shrieked out loud before clamping her mouth shut. She looked up, eyes bulged at her surroundings. She then shot up, fell back down on her butt because of clumsiness, then got back up, and looked at Hazel with excitement.

"H-Hazel! We're in my basement! You don't have automail! I don't have automail!" Li-san exclaimed, but then frowned noticing a slight difference. She looked at Hazel, then a little bit up above Hazel's head, and then to the ground. She then looked at Hazel, a frown on her face.

"Oh wait...I shrunk." Li-san sulked.

"Just shut up already we made it back Li I'm so happy!" Hazel squeaked and gave her friend a hug and Li tipped over as they crash landed on the ground.

"Gah...Hazel..remind me to never let you hug me again.. My back." Li-san muttered as Hazel got off instantly. She looked at the computer, it had the screensaver on now that read: Li-san Rulez! She quickly rushed over to the computer and moved the mouse. The screensaver disappeared, and then showed her desktop. It was of Al. _'Go figure..'_ Hazel thought rolling her eyes, and looked down at the taskbar for the time. She read it, and then her eyes bulged again.

"YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" Hazel roared and Li-san made the SSSSSSHHH! noise.

"HAZEL! QUIET!" Li-san wailed and Hazel brought her friend to read the screen.

"WHAT?! YOU MEAN WE HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN GONE FOR A DAY?!" Li-san roared and Hazel laughed as she covered her friend's mouth.

"And you were telling me to be quiet." Hazel chuckled.

"Gfeth yer hand offta mhy fashe." Li-san muttered, showing an imitation of her eye twitching. Getting the message, Hazel did so and Li-san stared at the time with her eyes twitching.

"It's 12:01... you gotta be joking me. And we thought we were gone forever!" Li-san cried.

"When in reality we've only been gone for a minute. Actually I find it amusing, convenient, and funny." Hazel said and started to laugh. Li-san joined happily, and then noticed her jacket.

"Hey..isn't this the same jacket we obtained from their world? Cool!" Li-san exclaimed, answering her own question. She then noticed white gloves, and stared at them while Hazel yawned and stretched, finally packing up her manga and her headband. Li-san's mouth was agape, and she stared at the gloves she wore now. Her own transmutation circle! Could things get any better?! She was about to clap her hands together to try; to try and see if maybe The Truth was wrong about their alchemy power, just to use it to open The Gate, but stopped in the middle when she heard Hazel shuffling her stuff into her bag.

"Huh? Hazel what are you doing?" Li-san asked as she walked over.

"Packing up for tommorow... I'm beat. Traveling to another dimension can make a girl feel like crud, ya know?" Hazel answered with a semicomatose smile.

"Oh all right. Well, I guess then you can go to bed. I'll join in a few." Li-san said.

"Kay.. I can't wait to snuggle up to my pillow and right into my sleeping bag. See you in the morning." Hazel said and went over to the other side of Li's finished basement. When Hazel was out of reach, Li-san looked from one side to another and opened up her WordPad. She clicked on the Open button and found something entitled, "My Journal". She opened it up, and started typing. This was something she WOULDN'T want to forget. She yawned, and smiled before she typed. When everything came to her, she started to type away.

_Dear Today 8/17/06,_

_You won't believe what's happened to me! It's almost too good to be true! Okay, so I invited my good pal Hazel over and we had an anime sleepover right? Nothing special or anything, right? WRONG! At midnight I drew out a transmutation circle, the one that is used to get to The Other Side from the show Fullmetal Alchemist. For fun, I clapped my hands and placed them on the circle. Of course, it didn't work for me and Hazel had to correct the errors I did on the circle since it was probably poorly drawn. Hey, I may be a good drawer at people but at circles? Please. _

_Anyways besides the point, when it was finished and perfect I proposed that we both do the circle, and we did! You know what happened next? We were transported to another dimension! We actually made it to Fullmetal world! It was amazing! We had automail too, and even our own plot! We even got to meet Ed, Al, Winry, Pinako, Mustang, Hughes, Hawkeye, and even Armstrong! The best part was that AL SAID THAT HE LOVED ME! It was so romantic! There was a lot more conflict believe me, like the homunculi and dante, especially our own homunculi named War and Hate! It was so cool, I can barely contain myself! _

_Well anyways, after all the conflict and struggle, we finally were able to make it back to The Gate, and it was there that the key to getting us home was telling the truth. We had always told lies to get us through it all, but I'm betting what we didn't realize is that even though we told lies that sounded right for us, it just complicated things more. Really though, I think making lies was for the better of this plot we created. After all, you really think Ed and Al would believe that Hazel and I were from the future? Psh, cha right._

_Anyways, here I am, typing away to you today. You know what's strange too? The time that we came back is 12:01. Can you believe that?! It's almost unbelievable to think! Well, I've talked too much... I need to get some shut eye. Already Hazel's gotten to bed early, she's always the one to fall last...well, except for that last time when we watched FMA nonstop, I think I was just getting tired of the episodes cause I saw them like, 50 times. Yeah..that's it. Yours truly, Li._

Li-san stared at her work, and smiled. She then moved back from her chair, and felt something brush against her hip. She blinked blankly, and then wondered as her mouth opened a little, wondering if there was something in her pocket. True, she had put Al's gift in there, but she wasn't really sure that it would stay there. She gulped out loud, and with a shaky hand reached into the coat pocket. She was deep down there when she felt something metalic, and her heart raced rapidly as she steadily pulled out the object. She held it up to eye level, and then her mouth dropped. There it was, in her hand. Al's metalic animal slightly deformed figure in all of it's glory. It sparkled and glimmered slightly, and Li-san's eyes widened even more. She rose from her seat, and then ran over to Hazel.

"Oh **my GOD! HAZEL WAKE UP! LOOK! LOOK AT THIS! HAZEL HAZEL WAKE UP GOD DAMMIT ALL!**" Li-san screamed as she shook her friend wildly. When Hazel was about to scream at Li, they heard foosteps boom from above, and the door swinging open.

**"LI! HAZEL! GO TO BED AND HAVE A NICE DREAM BEFORE I COME DOWN THERE AND MAKE YOU HAVE YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE!"** Li-san's father roared and then slammed the door shut. The two stood in shock for a few moments, and Li-san squeaked while shaking slightly.

"Y-yes dad.." Li-san said silently and crept into her own sleeping bag, holding the metalic animal close to her heart. This was true heaven, and she'd be having sweet dreams tonight. The next day was a Monday, so Hazel got into her clothes before which was a T-shirt with a phoenix on with ice blue colored sleeves and her leaf village headband tied around her neck like Hinata Hyuuga's style; while Li-san put on a dragon T-shirt with army colored sleeves attatched followed by her favorite necklace that had a silver shuriken on it. Engraved were symbols in japanese that meant Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. She also clipped on her pocketwatch onto her pants (luckily that was also found in li's pocket). She put her hair up in a high ponytail, put on one of her Kakashi-sensei gloves (while giving the other right handed glove to Hazel) and rushed downstairs. As the two walked to the bus stop, they got on and then went to school. When they were at school, it was like a normal day until lunch, when they told their friends about their adventure with shouts of joy.

"GUYS! YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS! HAZEL AND I HAVE SOMETHING AMAZING TO TELL YOU!" Li-san bumbled brightly as she slammed her textbooks on the table. A teacher looked at her with a stare, and she smiled awkwardly in an apologetic way.

"You fixed your forgetful problem?" Sanjee asked with a smirk.

"Yeah I---HEY!" Li-san said with a frown and Sanjee laughed out loud.

"What do you want to tell us?" Caetlyn asked. She was a new friend Hazel and Li made that was an anime fan since watching Fruits Basket, but that was another story.

"WE WENT TO THE WORLD OF FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST! NO LIE EITHER! HAZEL AND I WERE THERE!" Li-san exclaimed.

"Wow! That is so _easy_ to believe!" Sanjee said in an enthusiastic tone and Li-san nodded.

"Yeah I know ri--heeyyy..wait, what?! You're being sarcastic, aren't you?" Li-san pouted. She obviously misunderstood Sanjee because of his enthusiasm...that and he tricked her with the words 'easy to believe'.

"No. I was being serious." he said in his monotonous tone and rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face when Li-san bounced up and down.

"STOP MAKING ME CONFUZZLED!" she cried playfully and gave him a slap angrily. A few moments passed, and still most of Hazel and Li's friends stared at them blankly, not saying a word.

"I'm sorry, repeat that?" Jackie asked, putting on her scrunching 'what the hell are you talking about?' face.

"Though it may sound strange and almost unreal," Hazel started and then gave a glance at Sanjee, staring daggers at him. "Both Li and I traveled to a different world where alchemy does exist and it's not just a science that is a myth!" Hazel said.

"How did you do that?" Sanjee challenged.

"Dude. We made a transmutation circle and then activated it and then were warped to FMA world. Duh." Li-san said as she rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. Two girls, one with dirty blonde hair and the other with brown hair walked over, concerned yet funny looks on their faces.

"You believe me, right DZ? Lyspa?" Hazel asked playfully.

"Yeah yeah! You gotta believe Hazel right Danielle? Alyssa c'mon say yes!" Li-san joined, but the two just put their hands on Li and Hazel's shoulder.

"Umm...Hazel, Li-san dears you've been on too much sugar." Danielle said.

"She's right. Sugar High perhaps?" Alyssa added as she gave both a pat on the head.

"This is no joking matter! We're serious!" Li-san wailed. At this point, two people came over, one with short yellow hair and the other with curly black hair.

"What's goin on?" the black haired girl asked.

"We sensed that you two were talkin' bout anime." the girl with short yellow hair said as she did a little ninja thingy with her hands playfully.

"Caitlin, Illie, you gotta believe Hazel and me!" Li-san cried. The two girls stared at eachother, and then at Hazel and Li.

"Believe what?" they asked.

"THAT WE WENT TO FULLMETAL WORLD!" Hazel and Li exclaimed.

"Really you did?! Whoot! THIS CALLS FOR SOME SERIOUS AWESOMESS VANILLA SCENTED BODY SPRAY FOR CELEBRATION!" Illie immediately said with a smile as she reached into her purse.

**"NO!"** everyone cried in alarm and Caitlin actually grabbed Illie's purse in a mad attempt to get the spray away from her. Illie was silent, her eyes were narrowed.

"Fine, be that way! Beotches!" she cursed at them and then cursed at them in spanish silently. When a few moments passed, and when Illie got her purse back, the two anime fans went back to talking to Li-san who could see in her mind sweatdrops forming behind her anime head.

"Spill, spill!" Caitlin cried. Hazel couldn't help but sigh as she finally sat down, listening to Li-san explain everything that went on when they were in Fullmetal World. Danielle and Alyssa sat down next to their buddy, and gave her a hug.

"It's not like we think you're crazy or anything darling." Danielle said playfully.

"We just think you need to stop eating so much sugar and stop reading too much uh, manga and focus on school and friends." Alyssa said with a cheerful smile.

"But..But I do both! I can multitask, really!" Hazel wailed.

"Now now, come on let's get some fries, shall we?" Danielle said and both girls took Hazel by the arm and dragged her to the lunch line. Meanwhile, Li-san was still telling Illie and Caitlin about her and Hazel's adventures. That was the okay day, since school was back and all... Hazel and Li had a hard time adjusting again. Sure, in reality it was just a minute in Fullmetal World, but to them it was a month and a half at least! During their time there, they had traveled so much and dove into alchemy books, gained new knowledge, everything was strange to them slightly. Hazel actually gave an answer that was from Fullmetal World instead of from the text book, and she recieved a private detention when she tried to cover it up. It'd be very hard to adjust to that was for sure.

Meanwhile... In **Japan**... The **lone writer**... By the name of **Hiromu Arakawa**... Had **just finished**... Her **final** copy... Of the **newest Fullmetal Alchemist Manga entitled**... **Fullmetal's Adventure!** (a/n: okay i'll stop now lol)

Hiromu Arakawa sighed with relief as she finally finished her manga book. She flipped through and made sure that her work was sufficient enough, and then went over to her computer.

"Allrighty then. Now it's time to make my way to the U.S. Time to post the last thing in this manga.." she said to herself and started to type everything down on her computer, which would later transpose it on to the anime paper Tryouts start Monday, November 20th for the parts of the newest crew joining Fullmetal. The following includes: **Homunculi**- War (male) Hate (female) **Newest State Alchemists and Main Characters**- (both females) Avery and Ai-chan! The tryouts will go from the 20th to the 25th, I'm on a tight scheduale and all, so the more tryouts before the 25th the better! Arigatou everyone!" Arakawa said to herself with a smile as she printed the final copy of her manga. It was perfect, and this made her smile in satisfaction. The next morning she headed out and got onto a plane, waiting to get to the U.S. It'd take at least _at least_, two weeks to get there and set up everything for auditions.

It had been two weeks since Hazel and Li-san told their friends about their awesome adventure. No matter how hard they tried to tell them though, their friends didn't believe in them. It was always same old same old, whenever they tried to say anything it'd end up going right through their friends ears, every single one of them. Sanjee still thought they were crazy, Ellen didn't say a word, Jackie complimented (but the two knew she didn't mean it), Abbie just nodded her head with a sarcastic _riiight_, Danielle and Alyssa just said that they had too much sugar...again. Hazel and Li-san decided to keep shut after that, since everyone thought they were making it up.

Even when Li told her anime buddies she sat with when Hazel was late for lunch, they said it was great that it happened, but she knew they didn't mean it. Oh well, at least they sort of believed her. Li-san was staring into space one afternoon as she walked down the street after school hours, remembering when they told the group about their adventure. She sighed, and then inhaled deeply, thinking about the metalic animal at home right beside her bed. Maybe she could bring that in as proof! Oh wait, they'd just think it were bought at any old anime convention or store. Li sighed again, and then walked by an anime/manga store. She passed a poster that read the following. "Fullmetal Adventure! A new plot, new characters, new romance? Those who are faithful lovers of the Elric Brothers won't want to miss this!" She walked right passed it, and then came rushing back, her face pressed against the window.

"THAT'S HAZEL AND ME!" Li-san shouted when she saw the anime picture of herself in anime form. She rushed into the store and bought a copy, flipping through the pages. She couldn't believe this, it was all there. It was all there! The plot, what they said, everything! WORD FOR WORD, right there, right down to the expressions! How many volumes? 18! Wow this would make history! She then flipped down to the end of the book, and she thought that her eyes were bulged! _'I gotta show this to Hazel tommorow!'_ Li-san thought as she waited in line, buying the first volume copy of Fullmetal Adventure!

The next day, it happened to be November 20th... Hazel was at her locker, fiddling with it because it wouldn't open when she did the right combo. "Ugh. OPEN DAMMIT ALL!" she yelled out loud and stared at people who stared at her, and quietly continued to fiddle with her locker, muttering and cursing along the way. She then turned to be alert as she heard her name being called.

"HAZEL! HAZEL WHERE ARE YOU! ANE-SAN?!" Li-san roared down the hall, and Hazel leaned over to see Li-san rushing toward her, tripping on her own two feet and falling flat on her face on the floor.

"Oof!" she landed with a thud and people started to laugh and murmur. Hazel felt so embarrassed, but helped Li up.

"Li what is-" she started but then had a manga book shoved in her face. Her eyes narrowed when she lowered the book to just show her eyes as they narrowed, staring knives and daggers at her friend with that bright smile on her face.

"_This_ is what you wanted to show me?!" Hazel roared.

"READ IT AND LOOK AT THE COVER!" Li-san pointed. Hazel did so, and then her eyes widened.

"HOLY CRAP!" she cried in astonishment.

"I know! And read this part we so gotta do it!" Li-san cried and turned to the last page.

"Tryouts start Monday, November 20th for the parts of the newest crew joining Fullmetal. The following includes: **Homunculi**- War (male) Hate (female) **Newest State Alchemists and Main Characters**- (both females) Avery and Ai-chan!" Hazel read out loud and then the two squealed.

"We so need to do that today after school!" Li-san cried and Hazel squealed with a nod of excitement. Throughout the day, the two girls couldn't but giggle and squeal in excitement as the day finally ended. When it did, there was silence and the scene went to the school... Two girls burst out of it and rushed down the street shouting, "FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDOM!" As they rushed off, they finally stopped and just walked the rest of the day. That and...Li-san only ran for a minute and a half before going into a one-hit KO from running. Before that though, they had made a quick stop at Li's house as she told her parents what Hazel and she were doing as she grabbed her gloves and her blue jacket. As the two walked down casually down the street, Li had her hands behind her head.

"Say Hazel...you think we're gonna get the part?" Li-san asked.

"Of course we're gonna get the part! We _are_ Avery and Ai-chan after all." Hazel said proudly.

"Yeah but...there will be a difference, don't you think? I mean...if we didn't get the parts who do you think would? I mean no one can do us better than us, but then again we're gonna be competing against other kids like us, trying to get ourselves a life." Li-san said to herself and then turned to Hazel who had her eyes narrowed.

"You like to debate amongst yourself, don't you?" Hazel asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously though, think about it! We'll be reliving our own adventures as it airs on T.V! I keep thinking of all the funny things I said, which will make everyone love the bumbling bright Ai-chan while...on the other hand," Li-san said and then turned to Hazel.

"On the other hand what?" Hazel asked in a pissed off tone.

"Everyone might not like Avery that much compared to Ai. Avery's sort of a monotonous character, ya know? You shoulda been more happy happy happy!" Li-san said brightly. Hazel raised her eyebrow further up.

"Are you sayin' that I'm not funny enough? Is that it?" Hazel asked as she ruffled up her nose.

"Maybe Avery, maybe." Li-san joked and she recieved a smack from Hazel. "OW! W.T.F?!" she cried.

"Don't backsass me! I should turn around and forget this whole thing!" Hazel answered, pissed.

"I WUZ KIDDING! DON'T MAKE ME -sniffle- COMPLAIN LIKE MOMIJI-KUN!" Li-san wailed and Hazel sighed as she hung her head low, she could just see sweatdrops running down the back of her head. A few minutes passed, and the two continued to walk down the street. When they finally reached their destination, their mouths dropped when they saw the huge line consisting of 14, 15, 16, and even adults in the line!

"HOLY CRAPPERS! WE'RE GONNA HAFTA WAIT FOR SOOOOOOOO LONG!" Li-san wailed.

"At least we're here." Hazel said and rolled her eyes. And so, Hazel and Li waited in line for about...three hours and fifteen minutes. By that time, they were bored, and mostly annoyed at how slow the line was going.

"COME ON! MOVE ALREADY! I WANNA GET TO THE AUDITIONIN!" Li-san shouted and everyone turned to her when Hazel clamped her friend's mouth shut. To blame it on someone else, she turned behind her and shouted, "You hafta wait like the rest of us! Don't act like a spoiled brat!" Everyone didn't blame Li then and then faced front again. Li-san sighed and Hazel tapped her foot.

"You really want us to get kicked out? You'd better keep that mouth shut if I were you missy." Hazel said and Li-san smiled slightly.

"Sorry..I've just never had to wait this long." Li-san said sheepishly. Finally, their turn came, and they happily went inside. Both of them bowed respectfully to Arakawa before starting the audition. Arakawa spoke as fluently as she could in english.

"Now what parts do you two ladies want to try?" Arakawa asked.

"Avery and Ai-chan please Arakawa-san." Li-san said brightly.

"All right then, tell me your name and who you want to be." Arakawa said and started to right it all down.

"My name is Li-san Yamanato, and I wanna try out for Ai-chan." Li-san said brightly.

"I'm Hazel Manson, trying out for Avery." Hazel said with a smile.

"Okay, here is the script, now start with page 1 and we'll work on from there." Arakawa said calmly and the two begun. After 30 minutes, Arakawa whispered to her body guard and he nodded with a grunt, and went outside. Hazel and Li-san were a little bit nervous, wondering what's going to happen. Arakawa rose up from her seat, and walked over to the two girls and pat them on the back.

"Congrats. Like Fuhrer Bradly would say, I think we've found our alchemist. Well, in this case, alchemists. Well done you two, you've gotten the part." Arakawa said and at this, the two girls rejoiced with a hug, and Arakawa laughed with a smile. As they left the studio, they bowed once more after Arakawa had given them more information followed by a script and rushed off to tell their parents. As they walked down the streets, it was getting late, almost near evening. The two were silent, and Li-san kept looking at her gloves that had her own transmutation circle on them. She then stopped walking, and Hazel asked what was wrong.

"Say Hazel, you remember what It said to us back there at The Gate, right?" Li-san asked and Hazel nodded slightly.

"How we actually can perform alchemy?" Hazel asked and Li nodded. It was right before the two had walked through the Gate that It had stopped them abruptly, that it almost made Li trip and land flat on her backside!

_"Li, I never said that you came here by luck. If you could perform alchemy, then you'll be able to come back again for a visit... I'm sure Alphonse will like that." It said with a sly smile and Li-san blushed slightly._

_"So you're saying...WE CAN REALLY DO ALCHEMY?!" Hazel exclaimed._

_"Yes. Only to summon The Gate though, it is until you come back to this world that the power of alchemy will be yours. On that side, you will only have the power to summon me and this Gate." It explained and then waved a hand. "Now get going. I've said enough, and I'm tired, so shoo." It said playfully and the two walked through The Gate._

"Yeah... you think that we could go back one day? Visit them like we promised we would? Sure we might get our alchemy and automail back but, still you wanna visit them?" Li-san asked and Hazel smiled.

"Of course! I can't wait either! Now that we know we can do alchemy it's pretty exciting! Let's make a date to visit them shall we?" Hazel said with a smile.

"Okay!" Li-san cried and got out her agenda book from her backback.

"How bout...Christmas?! OH BOY WE COULD GET ALL OF THEM PRESENTS! I COULD GIVE AL CHOCOLATES AND FLOWERS AND A CARD THAT HAS HEARTS ALL OVER IT AND-"

"Li, I think you skipped Christmas and went straight to Valentine's Day." Hazel interrupted with a laugh.

"Oh yeah...right haha. So anyways, Christmas, what do you think?" Li asked.

"Well, we'd need to leave a week before and just stay there until Christmas. Cause like, when we come back it'll just be a minute after since we would be gone." Hazel said.

"Okay! So how about December... 9th?" Li-san suggested.

"Sounds like a good date to visit them. It's better to go like, way before Christmas cause then we'll get to see ev'ryone ya ya! Oh yeah and we'll get presents from them and we'll be able to bring them back! HOOZAH! The best part is that it's the end of October and the beginning and end of November will fly by just like that! So not much more to go until visiting time!" Hazel said with a laugh. Li-san smiled.

"That was priceless. I wish I had a tape recorder for that." Li-san joked happily.

"Whatevuh! I just can't wait this is so exciting." Hazel said with a smile.

"Haha. Wooooord." Li-san said and Hazel just stared in silence. "What! I can say it, can't I? Yeesh. But anywho, I still have Al's gift. It's so beautiful." Li-san added with a sweet sigh.

"Yeah yeah you've told me one hundred times. I wonder if we'll get gifts.." Hazel wondered.

"Whatever. It's the thought that will count when we get them gifts." Li-san said with a smile. As the two chatted about their visits then, they kept thinking of what gifts they could give to everyone; Including The Truth. As the month of October into November passed, December came and once again Li invited Hazel. This time, they waited for midnight, and while waiting they prepared the circle. They even put on their clothes they recieved after coming from The Gate before, red and blue jacket, and Li's transmutation gloves. When they smiled at their work, they looked at eachother and then at the clock. It read 11:57.

"You know what I'm gonna give Al for Christmas?" Li-san asked.

"What? Besides the kitten you bought Thursday?" Hazel asked as she stared down at the box in Li's hands, containing the little kitten.

"The kitty was just the beginning! I'm gonna give Al an everlasting kiss of love. It'll be amazing cause I'll make it be in the evening under mistle toe!" Li-san exclaimed. She and Hazel still didn't know how they pulled it off, getting what everyone would like for Christmas and actually being able to carry it all. Ed would get a taller pair of elevator boots, Al would get a kitten of course, Winry would get the latest technologetic wrenches and other tools that would make her eyes sparkle, Pinako would get a better pipe than the one she had before, and Den would get his own chewing bone collection with bacon flavored, pork flavored, lamb flavored, and chicken flavored taste because they didn't know what Den would like.

Not to forget, they had presents for everyone else too including the best major military members including: Mustang (their present for him was a backup weapon for his flames; a lighter, and a present to give to Riza), Armstrong (he would receive a supply of suits and ties since he normally ripped them off to show off his muscles), Hughes (he would get some really nice antique knives for his collection), and Riza (she'd get the latest in gun and rifle weapons from the future followed by some silver and gold bullets).

They also had presents for the minor military members including: Denny (he would get a present to give to Maria), Maria (she would get a present to give to Denny), Sciezka (books galore!), Fuery who became a major (a puppy plush since he still wasn't able to keep a dog), Havoc (cigarettes that were very rare during the 'olden days'), Breda (made out of crystal, the game shogi with the crystal board and crystal pieces!), and Falman (he got an encyclopedia and a dictionary which had more words in the future than in his time).

Finally, not to forget their 'relatives' and friends: Armony (they would give her books on alchemy because she wanted to learn so much, followed by some flower seeds that would grow very rare flowers seen in Iron Town) and Uncle Eiselstein (he would receive more educational books and a present that both Hazel and Li-san created in their spare time using alchemy), Izumi and Sig and Mason (they got the two lovers some more sharpened butcher knives that were made out of steel, and also for Mason they got him some cool things that he could use for working out), and Paninya (they got her a silver watch for herself to be able if she wasn't able to do it for four years -unlikely, but still just in case- to pay back Dominic, or to just keep it as a cool thing to wear). For them, that was everyone they knew besides the sins, and bad guys.

"Oh brother..Can't wait to see that. Unlike you _I'm_ just gonna give out all the presents to everyone!" Hazel said proudly.

"Hey Hazel, do you think we got the right present for It? I mean, it is sorta a dull present since everyone wears it a lot in this time. I think that It might get annoyed if he sees what it is." Li-san asked and the two looked at the somewhat big box that had a very _special_ gift inside.

"I think it was the right choice. Although I woulda gone with getting It a good sense of humor." Hazel replied.

"Haha! Good sense of humor, we shoulda gotten It that too. We'll get It a sense of humor next year." Li-san laughed.

"Li..I was kidding." Hazel said and rolled her eyes.

"O-oh...Hehh.. Yeah I knew that I was just playing along! Ahehh.." Li-san said with a slight grin. The two were silent, and then stared at the clock. Only a few more seconds before midnight came. Li was the first to speak again before both hands on the clock hit twelve.

"But just think, it's finally Christmas.. Do you think they're time was different from ours? Like, will this visit turn out to be another cool adventure? I mean, maybe when we get there we'll make our own 18 year old selves! I sure wouldn't like it if they were 18 and we were still 14..." Li-san said. "You really think they might be 18 now?" she then asked.

"Dunno...Only one way to find out when we get there.." Hazel said with a smile.

"Yeah.. True." Li-san said with a smile. She just loved surprises, but couldn't help but still be nervous. Suddenly, the clock struck 12 and the bonging began. The two turned to the circle, a nervous grin on their faces.

"Well, here goes." Li said and the two clapped their hands together and placed them on the circle once more. It seemed like the room spun, and they were sucked into the circle as it glowed. They left the basement behind, hearing the last gong as it rang 12, and found themselves in a place that seemed to go on forever, that same blank color, and there was nothing. Hazel saw herself falling, and she landed on her feet while crouched slightly. She looked around for Li-san, wondering where her buddy was. In seconds she heard a, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! HAAAAAZEL!" Hazel looked up to see Li-san bursting in tears come crashing down from the sky. Hazel's eyes bulged. _'Oh for the love of cheese and all the other dairy products!'_ Hazel thought and then jumped out of the way, watching Li-san land right on her head with a crash, finally having a box with a kitten in it fall on her stomach. Li-san grumbled a bit before she got up, and then groaned as she looked into the box, thanking God that the kitten was safe and sound. Hazel laughed slightly, and finally when Li had her wits about her, the two looked around and then at themselves.

"Automail." Hazel said with a sweet sigh, and then turned to Li-san who was still taller, but this time she looked different! So did Hazel in Li's eyes. Instead of what they had looked like the first time they had come to the fullmetal world, they were definately different! Of course, Li-san over the month of November had her hair layered so now it was in a layered high up ponytail while Hazel decided to get swoop bangs of her own in the month of November. She also decided for this Christmas celebration both of them looked even more stunning than before. Both still wore their jackets and all, and Li-san even brought her gloves.

"Ah it feels great to be tall again!" Li-san said happily, and she noticed her voice had changed slightly. It was a little more...not quite, but down low just slightly and at the same time a little high up. She was in the middle really. Before the two could say anything, they turned to see the familiar Gate stand before them. In seconds, a shadow appeared to them, a smile on It's face.

_"Well well, welcome back. Both of you."_ It said with a smile, and they grinned back.

"It's good to be back." they said happily.

_"Oh and, nice performance back there Li. The funny part is that I have it all recorded."_ It said with a grin.

"What?! HOW! I SEE NO CAMERAS!" Li-san cried as she waved her hand up and down, and then her eyse bulged when she felt herself being picked up. She screamed, and then in seconds came crashing back down, the same event happening.

_"AHAH! Told you I had it recorded. Everything here is in my control. So I coouulld do it again if I chose to."_ It said with a sneer.

"NO! NO PLEASE DON'T! I'M BEGGING YOU!!" Li-san wailed and Hazel sweatdropped. It laughed, and so did they, knowing what was going to happen next. It was happening, all over again, already starting with hilarious and embarrassing performaces by Li. After this one stop they would return to the world they had left apparently a few years ago... seeing old friends, new faces perhaps... Still, everything would be the same, everyone would be there waiting for them. This new welcome would be different, a new plot would unfold, and everything would start all over again. Because of one thing, the adventure these two girls had created from the very beginning when they first entered this world filled with alchemy. They knew in their hearts that as long as they always came back, always visited when they could... They knew that this adventure would never cease, and it would always continue. This one true adventure would always go on, forever until death...

-_And So, Hazel and Li were back, ready to see everyone once more. What new surprises would await them when they would walk through The Gate? What new story would unfold for them? What exciting plots and twists would they encounter? Would new romances bloom if two new faces would come into view if Li and Hazel have been away for 4 years in fullmetal time? How would Edward react when he would receive new elevator boots? Better question is, has he **grown**? There was only one way to find out, and that would be to start a new journey, a new story, a new plot... But I'm sure for you that can all just wait, can't it?- _

A/N: okay! yea..the paragraph before the italicized stuff, wasn't that just so...stupid? i mean, i tried, but in the end i felt it sounded really stupid to end a story that way so i added the italicized stuffers! (it's my opinion though, don't go with it if u didn't think it was stupid! XD) also, before i go on i will say i know that manga is probably not made in only a long couple of hours, i know it takes a long time but hey it's my story so there! lol okay i'm done with that now, **_anyways(!) _**that was the last and final chapter! how'd i do everyone? also, a question, would u be interested if i were to be making a sequel of this story right now? as the last paragraph stated much would be going on...i'm just wondering cause this story was just so much fun for me to write i still have inspiration comin! it's so amazing too! it also won't be 18 chapters long, promise... XP -unless it starts to get interestin...but i'm sure u guys wouldn't mind a sequel to be 18 chappies..right?.. anyways, again, arigatou everyone for liking this story and putting it on ur favs list. I especially would like to thank demon thing who gave me the inspiration of making this story probably 10x better than it was gonna be! and now! THE CREDITS! Y'ALL DESERVE IT! (Hazel: since when did we become western people? Li: Yeah...I don't remember that bein in the script. Em: We didn' become western! Goodness u're wasting time for the reviewers to read the credits! Hazel and Li: Sheesh! Don' bite our heads off Miss DragonLady! Ed and Al: this should get interesting if those three start fighting..)

**Special Thanks To!**

Archival45 ...

Bunny Girl ...  
Chiyo Mihama ...

demon thing ...

Fix-it Alchemist ...

Lyemi ...

Miaka Mustang ...

MorroMotherofWolves

ooooooooOOBuBBlesOOoooooooo ...

Purple Ghost Sausage ...

Rykun ...

SessyLover180 ...

ShadowsofRaven ...

Shiriko Matsuhisa ...

Sorasuzume ...

Sweetnevermore ...

wolf in the mist ...

**And...**

To all you other readers out there!

**ARIGATOU EVERYONE!** -Em

(P.S- if u review for this chapter and have not reviewed before, the list will be updated pronto! also in a review tell me if i missed u or not! i'll update no prob! I wait for more reviews (please! XD) so I can post them on the Special Thanks list!)


	19. Sequel Alert!

A/N: Hello there everyone! Hopefully, those of you who have this story on their alerts list have gotten the alert e-mail and are reading this. CAUSE THIS IS IMPORTANT! ...Again, thanks for all the reviews u guys gave me! I really really liked all of ur compliments, and am glad that you want a sequel! Well, I'm proud to announce that the first chapter of the sequel shall be coming out this week! Be sure to check my site this wednesday to see if the sequel, Fullmetal Christmas Special! is up. It prolly will be, but if it isn't prolly it will be the next day! But i promise it'll be wednesday ;) . yea...that's pretty much it. just givin the warnin when the sequel will come out! and as one more appreciatingly thank u, i will give u guys a sneak peek for chappie 1!

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_"Well well, welcome back you two." ..._

_"It's good to be back." ..._

Hazel and Li-san smiled happily as they looked at Truth with a curious look on its face. There was a silence brewing, and in time everyone had sweatdrops running down behind their heads.

"Soooo... How long has it been anyways since we've visited?" Hazel asked as Li was checking herself out as she looked at how tall she was and how she changed in anime form.

_"It's been about four years... Your friends have been worried that you would never show."_ Truth replied.

"Oh well, that's not too--" Li-san started and then her eyse bulged, realizing what Truth had just said.

**"FOUR YEARS?!"** Li-san cried and rushed up to Truth.

**"LISTEN BUB! IF YOU KNOW EVERYTHING DID AL GET A NEW GIRLFRIEND?!"** Li-san cried.

_"Al is still single. He is still loyal to you though I don't know why Miss FireBreathing Dragon Lady."_ Truth responded in an irritated tone.

"Oh good. I'm glad... I can't wait to see Al! He'll love the present I got him!" Li-san said happily and then opened the box to reveal the little yellow with black stripes kitten who meowed softly. Li-san gave it it's bottle of milk before covering the kitten up once more when it curled into a little cute ball.

"And by the way mister, I am not a FireBreathing Dragon Lady! YOU GOT THAT?!" Li-san roared in outrage, and Truth couldn't help but sweatdrop. Truth sighed, and then put a hand to Truths forehead.

_"I rest my case and will say no more."_ Truth said and Li-san had a questionable look while Hazel snickered in the backround.

"So um, can you like make the Gate open so we can go to Risenbool? I really don't wanna walk all the way." Hazel said after a few seconds later. Truth sighed with an angered look on its face.

_"What do you think I am? Area service?"_ Truth asked.

"Nope. Just a ticket to Risenbool!" Li-san joked and Truth sighed.

_"One trip to Risenbool, coming up."_ Truth said and snapped its fingers as the doors opened to show the very familiar automail shop owned by Winry Rockbell. Instead though, snow began to fall lightly, and the lights were all on. The two could see some people inside that they recognized quickly even with the slight hair difference. As Hazel and Li walked to The Gate, Hazel rushed over and handed Truth the semi big box. Truth stared at it blankly, and then looked up at the two girls.

"Thanks dude! Here ya go! Merry Christmas even though it may be early! Next time we visit be sure that we know you like our preeeeseeeent!" Hazel sung happily as the two rushed through the door as it closed. When the two doors made a bang of silence, Truth looked at the box with a blank expression. Motionlessly Truth opened the box and then felt like an eye was twitching. Truth took out what was inside, and looked at it dumbfoundedly.

_"What-the-hell?"_ Truth asked in bewhilderment and then looked at The Gate, not saying another word. _'I knew it... I knew that the second they came back they'd drive me crazy.'_ Truth thought and shakily reached into the box for its present to!-...

A/N: okay! I'm gonna leave it off at that! basically, the next part is hazel and li arriving at Rockbell's house blah, blah, blah... won't give anythin else away! u'll just have to wait and see! anywayz, arigatou again everyone and be sure to check out the sequel Wednesday! Bye bye! -Em


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